Sarah vs The Long Flight
by Go-Chuck-Go
Summary: Sequel to 'Chuck vs. His Reality.' Afraid that Sarah and Casey have been assigned to kill him, Chuck has run away. Sarah must battle her heart and the Intersect to find Chuck before its too late.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This story is a sequel to Chuck vs. His Reality. This story may be difficult to understand, if you haven't read Chuck vs. His Reality. This story focuses on the aftermath following Chuck's escape from Sarah & Casey after discovering that they have been given orders to kill him. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own the character. _

* * *

Chapter 1: Hangovers Hurt

Sarah didn't want to move. It hurt to think. Her head was pounding and she knew if she woke up, it would make it worse. It was better to remain unconscious to the world around her; where she didn't have to think about the 'bad things.'

Casey called to her from somewhere. She didn't want to respond. She wanted him to go away. '_Why was he here?_' Chuck was gone; it no longer mattered. Her pulse leapt. She didn't want to think about Chuck.

She heard a crash and splintering wood. Vaguely, her brain registered that her door had been broken down. However, she was unprepared to hear Casey yelling directly above her. He was too close. She winced. She needed to get away. Sarah tried to hide her face in her covers.

Casey gazed down at Sarah, wrapped in a blanket on her bed. She was not moving. Holding his breath, he checked her pulse. It was strong and steady. Relieved, he released his breath. She was drugged, but no worse for ware. He chided himself a bit. Chuck wasn't the vindictive type. However, his training and past experience had made him worry on the drive to Sarah's hotel.

"Walker, wake up. We have work to do."

Casey nudged her, but there was no response.

'Well here was a first,' he thought to himself. He, was actually better than wonder girl, Sarah Walker, at something. He could recover from being drugged faster. Nudging her again, it looked like if he didn't intervene, she would remain in her drugged induced haze for another few hours.

He mused to himself, "I guess it helps that I have a hundred pounds on you. But there's no time. Wake up! We need to find our boy." Still receiving no response, he chuckled to himself, " It's shower-time for you."

Casey went to pick up Sarah and the blanket shifted. He saw that she was in her bra and jeans.

"God Damn Chuck! I'm going to kill him. He copped a feel. I can't believe it! I'm going to kill the pervert with my bare hands."

He picked Sarah up and carried her to the shower. Holding her upright, he turned on the shower and aimed the shower head directly at her face. Sarah sputtered and attempted to get away from the cold spray. She wailed for him to stop, but Casey ignored her.

"It's for your own good! Now wake up for God's sake. Chuck's on the run and he needs you!" He shook her, and was relieved when she reached for the shower faucet in an attempt to turn the hot water on.

"Casey, get the hell out of here! I'm awake. Give me a moment," yelled Sarah, angrily. She grabbed the shower walls to steady herself.

Casey assessed her. She was awake but obviously in a bad way. She looked horrible. Her hangover must be excruciating. He was glad that he was almost twice as heavy as Sarah. The drugs hadn't affected him nearly as much.

"Hurry up. I'll be outside." She looked like a drowned rat. "That damn pervert. I'm going to break him when I see him. I can't believe he took your shirt off."

He left the bathroom. When she heard him close the bathroom door, she sat down in the shower and began to cry. "He wasn't a pervert. He was perfect…."

-o-

"Well, its about damn time! You might as well swam away," barked Casey, as she entered. He bellowed more orders into his cell phone and ended his phone call. He turned to Sarah and gave her his full attention.

She had changed into a dry pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. She had towel-dried her wet hair. She looked almost like her normal self. This calmed him. She knew Chuck the best. With her help, they had a much better chance of finding Chuck quickly, and he thought to himself, 'kicking his ass.'

She sat on the couch. In full professional mode, she queried, "What's our status? Do we have a lead on Chuck yet? How long has it been since we were drugged?"

Casey replied, "It's been about ten hours since we were drugged. Once I woke up, I called in the code and a manhunt was immediately initiated. The CIA and NSA are watching every train, bus, plane and marine transport. The State and City police authorities have also been notified. They received a cover story. They have been told that Chuck was exposed to a drug resistant strain of bird flu and he's to be followed but not apprehended. If confronted, I didn't want Chuck spouting off about being the Intersect to some beat cop."

"Chuck shouldn't be confronted by someone he doesn't know," agreed Sarah. "He's worried about being captured and being forced to give up secrets." At this admission, she wrapped her arms around her legs, and looked bereft.

Seeing her sadness angered Casey. Jumping up, Casey yelled, "Damn straight, he should! What the hell is he going to do, if he's cornered. The Moron!" A vein is Casey's forehead began to pulse visibly. He looked ready to explode.

Sarah watched Casey's display of anger for a moment, then explained, "He has one of my guns. He told me he would put a bullet in his own head….. if he thought he was going to be captured and forced to give away secrets."

Casey blanched. Her admission took the wind from his sails.

"This situation is so screwed up. What is going to happen if he's approached by someone he knows? He thinks we were planning on killing him." He began to rub his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. Maybe he didn't escape the hangover effects of the drug after all.

This time Sarah blanched. It hadn't occurred to her that Chuck might hurt himself, if either Casey or she attempted to confront him. Her heart constricted. How had it gone so badly?

Suddenly she had a thought. "How did he get a hold of Sweet Dreams?"

Casey looked sullen. "I gave it to him."

Furious, she yelled, "Where in the NSA handbook does it say that a handler should EVER give an asset narcotics that can be used against SAID handler?" Casey watched Sarah carefully. Her face had turned red and she clutched her fists in anger. He could tell she was near her breaking point.

"Sarah the guy was having really bad nightmares. He couldn't sleep."

"And you didn't THINK THAT WAS IMPORTANT? He was probably worried that SOMEONE was planning on killing him" shrieked Sarah. Casey's eyes grew wide as the truth hit him. He had missed this important change in Chuck's behavior. He felt like an idiot.

She closes her eyes for a second to compose herself. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Let's focus. We need to find him and explain that the termination order was rescinded. He'll believe me. He'll come back. We just need to find him."

Hearing Sarah's words, relieved Casey. She was right. He suddenly thought that there was still a chance to save the mission.

He replied, "Roger that. We have the whole west coast closed down. Chuck isn't trained. He won't get far. Besides the NSA has his voice in their voice recognition algorithm. If he says one word over any cell phone or landline, the phone call with be traced. I'm surprised we don't already know where he is."

The agents bolstered each others spirits. They both agreed that it really was a matter of time before they caught Chuck. However, privately both worried about The Intersect. It was a wild card and was in Chuck's head. Chuck was able to make some amazing connections during their assignments. What would happen if Chuck decided to use The Intersect against them?

Suddenly a thought occurred to her. "What about Ellie and Awesome. Has somebody interrogated them yet? Ellie probably knows where he's gone."

"Hmmm…there is a problem there. Ellie and Awesome are gone too."

Alarmed, Sarah asked, "Have they been taken?"

"No. Nothing like that. But they both must know. Ellie and Awesome packed up their clothes and left the apartment. We have tapes but they must have known that they were being recorded. They didn't say a single word the whole time that they packed. All we have is a video of them carrying their luggage out through the courtyard. We know where they are because we have GPS trackers in their cars. They moved to Awesome's parent's house."

"Oh, no!" gulped Sarah.

"Yeah, our bosses are alarmed. We are going to go into CYA-Cover Your Ass time really quickly" grimaced Casey.

"Well maybe I can help by talking with Ellie. I have a relationship with her," replied Sarah. She knew that Ellie had always liked her. Maybe she could convince Ellie that Chuck was safer with her than on the run.

"Well let's hope. Awesome's parents can really cause problems. A federal judge and a state senator can make life really hard on us….especially because of the tape. "

"Tape? What tape?" quizzed Sarah.

"Chuck taped our briefing where we were assigned to kill him. I figured it out when I saw him puking his guts out after watching one of our standard surveillance videos. Unfortunately, Ellie had already drugged me, so I couldn't warn you in time."

"Oh my God, he saw me getting the assignment to kill him? Did he really puke?" Sarah felt acid rumble in her stomach. She was going to be ill.

Casey hesitated to answer. The determination on her face, told him he would be forced to answer. "Yes, he did. I guess he got sick because he felt betrayed."

Sarah jumped up and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. His head throbbed as he watched her run from the room.

Hangovers were a bitch.


	2. Chapter 2: The Talk

Chap 2: The Talk

_Both the CIA and the NSA were in full alert mode. Casey actually thought it was more panic mode, but being the good soldier; he kept that to himself. Surprisingly, Chuck had done something that no one would have ever suspected._

_Chuck had mailed copies of the tape he made of General Beckman issuing his termination order to both General Beckman and Director Grahams' home and work addresses. Both addresses were highly confidential and way beyond Sarah or Casey's security clearance._

_Even more shocking, in General Beckman's letter, Chuck had also addressed a second un-mailed CD to Beckman's daughter, who was away at college. Chuck knew enough information to include the girl's nickname and dorm room number. Chuck did not send the CD to Beckman's daughter, but he certainly made everyone aware that he could._

_Furthermore, Chuck had very clearly implied that if anything happened to his sister, copies of the tape would make it outside the intelligence community. It was a very effective message. As the agents had feared, The Intersect wild card had come to fruition._

_Sarah had initially tried to phone Ellie after Chuck's escape, but Ellie refused her calls. Not accepting rejection, Sarah had driven to Devon's parent house. However, as she was about to ring the bell, she had received a call from the CIA director himself ordering to stop all contact._

_Since that call, very strict orders came down from above, to not contact Ellie or Awesome. The agents were strictly in surveillance mode. Devon's parents were highly visible political figures and both the CIA and NSA were literally in a 'tizzy' about General Beckman's assassination order being recorded. Neither agency wanted exposure._

_The no contact order was issued with the belief that Chuck would be captured quickly without the involvement of Ellie or Awesome. However after thirty-three days, there were no real leads on Chuck's whereabouts. Incredibly, Charles Irving Bartowski had fallen off the grid all by himself._

_After repeated requests, Sarah received clearance to attempt a friendly meeting with Ellie. Sarah decided to surprise the doctor at the hospital. Casey discovered her plan and insisted on accompanying her. She agreed; against her better judgment. He was much better suited to brute force situations than the type of conversation required for an overly protective, Ellie Bartowski._

_Upon seeing the agents at the hospital, Ellie's normal sunny disposition turned electrifyingly cold. Alarmed, a nurse actually asked Ellie if she should call Security to remove the intruders from the hospital wing. Not wanting a scene, Ellie indicated no and practically spit out that she would meet the agents in the hospital cafeteria after her shift._

-o-

The agents were waiting in the cafeteria drinking coffee.

Sarah was nervous and was toying with her untouched vanilla latté. She knew Ellie was due to arrive for their meeting and it unnerved her. She had decided that a preemptive strike would work best, where she would address all of Ellie's concerns before she raised them. This way Sarah could control the conversation and minimize the risk of Ellie asking something that would break down the fragile emotional barriers, that she had erected since Chuck's disappearance.

Casey was not helping. When nervous, he tended to lash out. As such, she wasn't very surprised when he reproached, "I don't know what your worried about. It's Ellie who has the explaining to do. She drugged a United States NSA agent and helped her fugitive moron of a brother escape the governmental authorities."

Unfortunately, Ellie Bartowski arrived just as Casey was delivering this tirade. Taking his remarks as an act of war, she responded with barrels blazing.

"I would be happy to explain! I'll explain to the media why I helped him escape a governmental contracted killer. I know who and what you really are. Want me to shout it out right here in this cafeteria, John Karl. Want a last name to go with the middle name? " snarled Ellie.

Casey's eyes bulged and his face turned beet red. Recovering from his shock, he jumped up into Ellie's face. In a deadly quiet voice, Casey uttered, "Say my real name and I will kill you."

Ellie Bartowski was not impressed. "My brother left information on all of you, in case I got into trouble and needed leverage. Don't think for one moment that I won't hesitate to use it," seethed Ellie.

Ellie's threat to out Casey's identity took Sarah off guard. Glancing at Casey, she saw that the agent was floored and was vacillating between an erupting volcano and a deer in the headlights. She realized that Casey's presence was not going to do her any favors.

Trying to temper the situation, Sarah explained, "Agent Casey did not mean to threaten you. Its just that in our line of work someone knowing our real identity could mean life or death. He was a bit shocked that you are aware of his given name and spoke in haste." Sarah gave Casey a reproachful look and silently indicated for him to sit down.

Buoyed by Casey's consent, Sarah continued in her most professional tone, "Let's start this conversation again. Agent Casey and myself are here to help Chuck. As you know, we work for the government and our mission is to protect Chuck. We understand that you may mistrust us, because we had to hide our identities. But let me assure you...it was all done to assure our overall objective...which was always to protect Chuck."

Ellie listened to Sarah's speech, but was not convinced. Mockingly, she replied, "You call what you two were planning protection?"

Affronted, Casey jumped up ready to fight. He'd be damned if he would let her out his identity and then question his motives. Sarah was forced to grab Casey's wrist to stop him from antagonizing Ellie further. Realizing that he was jeopardizing their mission, he relented and lowered his gaze and sat down. Ellie's knowledge of his identity had him a bit sensitive.

Struggling to focus, Sarah continued, "We know that Chuck thought we were going to hurt him, but he was mistaken. Casey and I personally made sure that the situation was resolved favorably on Chuck's behalf before his disappearance. Believe me when I say, that we both …. respect Chuck…. and would never wish him harmed."

Finishing her speech, Sarah was flabbergasted when she realized that neither Casey or Ellie had been listening. Instead, they were embattled in a staring contest; neither willing to give any ground. What was up with these two?

Infuriated, she exploded, "Casey, just leave. Let me finish talking to Ellie alone." Casey turned towards Sarah combatively, but was stopped by the desperate plea on her face to 'not screw up this meeting.' He relented and went across the room and sat down.

Finally alone, the women sat silently contemplating each other. Without Casey's presence to steady her, Sarah fears brimmed to the surface. She needed Ellie to understand the severity of the situation.

She burst out, "Chuck is in a lot of danger. Organizations beyond the CIA and NSA are actively searching for him. Ellie I am frightened of what will happen if they find him. Either Chuck will hurt himself to avoid capture, or he will be captured and unspeakable things will be done to him. These organization torture people, Ellie. You have to help me find him, before someone else does."

Torture was not something Ellie had considered, and it rocked her. Chuck implied on the beach that he might consider something stupid, to keep himself from falling into the wrong hands. That reinforced what Sarah was telling her. Genuinely afraid, Ellie let her combative demeanor drop. The stress of the last month began to appear on her face. Ellie looked imploringly at Sarah.

"Did you ever care about my brother at all?"

Sarah's stomach dropped. This is one of those questions she was hoping to avoid. She considered telling Ellie the truth, but discounted the idea. Ellie would not believe her declaration of feelings. And truthfully, Sarah wasn't ready to say the words out loud yet. However, Sarah didn't think Ellie would believe her if she lied about her feelings either.

Finally Sarah decided upon a reply. "Ellie, you are a doctor… you may understand the situation better than most."

Sarah stopped and took a drink of her coffee. Her hands began to shake as she concentrated on selecting the right words. Sarah's nervousness was not lost on Ellie; she listened intently.

"Have you ever had a patient…that against your better judgment…breaks through your professional detachment and objectivity…even though their illness and injuries were so complex that you needed your detachment to deal with the situation? "

"Your professional duties are clear, and it doesn't matter that this patient is this warm incredibly wonderful person with an amazing array of friends and family that treats you like you're a part of their family."

"You are torn between between what you want and hope for; and your professional duties. But the reality is...that you are the patient's doctor and your duty is to fight for your objectivity and detachment. Because if you don't…then all might suffer because you might not be able to make that tough call. The call that might be required to save the patient's life."

Ellie frowned as she considered Sarah. The agents appeared stricken as she described her situation. If Sarah's analogy was anywhere close to the truth, then Ellie may even feel a bit sorry for her.

Sarah recognized that Ellie was softening, so she asked, "Will you help me find Chuck?"

"No." It was resounding. Ellie may feel sorry for Sarah, and afraid for her brother. But, she would never be untrue.

Sarah was disappointed, but tried another approach. "I may be out on a limb here, but I know how much Chuck cares for you. I can't believe he hasn't established some way to communicate with you that he is okay."

Ellie didn't respond, and evaded Sarah's questioning eyes. Sarah recognized what the doctor's avoidance meant.

"Ellie these organizations are real and they will do terrible things, if they find Chuck. Will you tell me if something goes wrong, and he stops checking in?"

"Maybe."

Sarah was silently elated. She knew 'maybe' meant 'yes.' Ellie's admission affirmed, albeit indirectly, that Chuck was safe. Furthermore, she now knew that she will eventually find Chuck...through Ellie.

Recognizing the fragility of their truce, Sarah doesn't want there to be any miscommunications between them. "I need to make sure you know that as part of my job, I will continue to look for Chuck." Ellie nodded. Relief flooded through Sarah. Chuck's sister understood.

Unfortunately, Sarah's elation was short lived. Ellie asked a question that made Sarah reel.

"Will you promise me that you will never hurt my brother?"

The question was like a knife to Sarah's heart. There are so many scenarios in her head, where she would be forced to hurt Chuck. Thinking about it, ate at her.

Trying to remain on safe ground, she replied, "Ellie, I think you already know that it's too late to ask that. I've already denied to Chuck that I have any feelings for him in order to keep him safe."

"That's not the type of harm I'm referring to, Sarah."

She was afraid that was what Ellie meant. Sarah knew she couldn't honestly make that promise. If it was a choice between a quick death or an agonizing one for Chuck, she knew what she would do for him, because she cared. But she couldn't voice that truth.

"If it's a choice between my life and his….his life has always been ahead of my own."

Satisfied with the response, Ellie continued, "You know Sarah, even after everything you've told me, I still have a duty to my little brother, to try and hate you."

Sarah pondered Ellie's remark for a second and responded, "After getting to know Chuck and being apart of your amazing family for awhile, I think it would be hugely disloyal if you didn't."

-o-

On the return trip, Casey and Sarah reviewed the information that they received from Ellie. They agreed not to report that Ellie was in communication with Chuck. Neither wanted to expose their lead.

Suddenly, Casey looked at Sarah and asked, "Why couldn't the moron reveal your identity and not mine?"

Sarah frowned at Casey. "My identity was never in The Intersect. That's why I received this assignment. You weren't as lucky. Chuck was never supposed to know you. Your assignment was more…clean-up… but it morphed into a protection type assignment. He was never supposed to see your face."

Sarah sighed. "My assignment was different. I was always supposed to get close to him. There had to be no possibility that he could discern my identity."

Casey listened but was confused. "But he flashed on you."

Sarah responded, "He flashed upon the particulars of an assignment, but not on me."

Casey was flabbergasted. He knew that all identities of standard field agents would have been fed into The Intersect. "Who and what are you, Sarah Walker?"

Sarah grimaced. She had begun to wonder that herself. Finally she replied, "It's need to know, John Karl, it's need to know."


	3. Chapter 3: Mother's Day

Chapter 3: Mother's Day

_**Sarah's Studio Hotel Room, **__**Redondo Beach, California**_

_**Eight months later **_

Sarah slept deeply. It had been the first good sleep that she'd had in over a week. She had traveled to Matzalan, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City, Honolulu, Washington D.C. and Sydney in the last three weeks tracking down leads on Chuck and dealing with her superiors. She was exhausted. She had toyed with the idea of staying an extra night in Honolulu to sleep. However, it was important to return to Los Angeles, so she sucked it up and took the red-eye. One disadvantage of being a spy was that they don't sleep on planes. Trained to constantly be on guard, sleeping was impossible as strangers meandered through the cabin. As such, arriving at her hotel Sarah was exhausted. She was happy to see a familiar bed. While only a long term hotel studio rental; it was her home.

Life had gone on since Chuck's escape. Over the past eight months, Ellie and Awesome moved back into their apartment. No legal action was taken against Ellie due to her part in Chuck's escape. This was mostly due to the political pressure that Awesome's parents were able to apply.

However, the couple was under continual surveillance by the NSA and CIA. Ellie's brother was still the most secretly wanted man in the country. The surveillance was an annoyance, but one that they had grudgingly accepted over time. Life had returned to normal, except as Ellie like to put it, she was missing a small piece of her heart, that Chuck took with him when he left.

Sarah and Casey's roles had also changed. They were no longer assigned to Ellie and Awesome's surveillance detail. Agents Burrows and Nelson were now assigned to these duties. The new agent's presence allowed Casey and Sarah to travel the world in search of Chuck.

However, Sarah had rushed back to Los Angeles late the night before via a red-eye flight. It was Mother's Day for the Bartowski clan and she personally wanted to help with the surveillance of Ellie on this important day. The event had special meaning for Ellie and Chuck. It was the day that their mother had left and the children had begun to rely on themselves. Because of its significance, Sarah suspected that Chuck would attempt to contact his sister.

Her iPhone began to beep on her nightstand. She had arrived at her hotel at five in the morning, and she was still half asleep when she attempted to answer the phone. Briefly glancing at the front of her iPhone, her heart stopped. A picture of Chuck appeared on its screen. Chuck was calling. A mixture of love, hope, fear and anger coursed through her body. Wide awake and sitting up, she answered the phone.

"Chuck, is that you?" Her body froze in anticipation.

"No, I'm sorry Sarah, its Ellie. My phone broke and I started using Chuck's phone. I haven't changed the number over yet. We had the family share plan and the phone wasn't being used. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you think…."

Sarah sighed. "It's okay, Ellie. I flew in early this morning and the phone woke me up. When I saw Chuck's picture come up on my phone, I thought….well, you know what I thought. I wasn't thinking. I guess I was still half asleep."

There was a pause over the phone, then Ellie gushed a little nervously, "I'm sorry I called you so early. I received your messages about doing lunch today. I'm sorry I didn't call before, but my surgery schedule has been fierce. I didn't realize you were out of town. Anyway, I actually took the day off. I needed some time off, but I wanted to keep busy; shopping, that sort of thing."

Sarah sympathetically remarked, "Ellie, I know it's Mother's Day today."

"Leave it to you to be so observant Sarah," remarked Ellie scornfully. Embarrassed by her sudden rudeness, Ellie followed up contritely, " I didn't mean that Sarah. It's just that Awesome and I are engaged, and I want to talk to Chuck. I guess I'm a bit grumpy. I miss him so much. It still hurts."

Sarah silently agreed. She sometimes felt that Chuck's goofy grin and dark brown eyes had hardwired themselves into her heart. She had no respite. She looked for him in the day, and dreamt about him at night. It made her miserable.

The women spoke a few more minutes arranging the location for their lunch and hung up the phone.

As she was getting ready to meet Ellie, her iPhone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that it was CIA Director Graham. She was puzzled by the call.

She picked up the phone. "Agent Walker, I'm sure you're surprised by my call. It's off our normal reporting schedule. I'm calling as a professional courtesy. I wanted to make you are aware of a change in assignments that will be occurring in the Bartowski case. We have assigned an additional agent to the investigation."

"Another agent," asked Sarah. This was a surprise. _Why would they assign another agent?_

"It's not a reflection on you or Agent Casey's work. Our partners in the Intersect Project wanted to see additional resources assigned to recover Mr. Bartowski. As such, we've agreed to add another element to our search protocol," explained Director Graham.

"An additional element, Sir?" This sounded too vague to Sarah. She should have heard something from the "other partners," if they wanted additional resources added to the search for Chuck.

"Don't worry Agent Walker. Tomorrow, Agent Conrad will arrive in Los Angeles and meet with you, Burrows and Nelson. You'll understand then, why the new agent's presence might be helpful in the search for Mr. Bartowski."

Sarah knew there was more to the story and there must be underlying reason for this change in the pursuit of Chuck. However like most assignments, it was on a "need to know" basis and for whatever reasons, she didn't need to know…at least until tomorrow. She guessed that it was likely due to some internal intelligence politics. She finished the phone call. She promised herself that she would think about it later.

Besides, if today went like she hoped, no additional resources were needed because she was going to find Chuck.

-o-

Sarah and Ellie met at a small outdoor eatery along the Santa Monica Promenade. They had an enjoyable lunch. Frustrated by the waiters slow service, Ellie had gone inside to pay the bill. Sarah had decided to stay outside and enjoy the sunshine. It also allowed her to watch who approached the restaurant, in case Chuck made an appearance. She had already searched the restaurant prior to Ellie's arrival and had stationed Nelson at one of the inside tables and Burrows at the back entrance. She had prepared for all contingencies.

Since the truce, Ellie and Sarah had built a friendship. This was another change in her life due to Chuck. She valued Ellie's friendship. She hadn't realized how detached she had become since entering the intelligence world. Ellie's friendship had reborn something in Sarah that she had thought long dead.

Of course, there were some serious no-go zones in their friendship. Ellie never asked Sarah personal questions about her past and Sarah never asked for Chuck's location. However, both women knew that Sarah was actively searching for Chuck and had some hand in the doctor's surveillance detail. Ellie even joked about it at times, just before she would indirectly indicate to Sarah that Chuck was still safe. In rare unguarded moments, Sarah even thought that Ellie wished that Sarah would find Chuck and bring him home.

Ellie returned to the table. "Hey Sarah, do you want to see the hope chest that Devon is buying me? It's being built in a little specialty wood working shop down the street," explained Ellie.

"I would love to," replied Sarah. "Have you guys set the date for the wedding yet," asked Sarah inquiringly.

"No. Devon is pushing me for a date now. I guess I've been postponing it. I had secretly hoped that Chuck would be back by now sohe could walk me down the aisle," replied Ellie sadly.

Sarah gave Ellie an encouraging smile and said, "Come on, let's go see your hope chest."

-o-

_**Hotel Villa Vera Puerto Mio**_

_**Zihuatanejo Bay , Mexico**_

Chuck sat on the beach outside his room watching the surfers attempt to ride the small waves in the mid-afternoon sun. Real surfers, like himself, were out at dawn catching waves. The guys in the water now were mostly tourists.

He had set sail, in what felt like eons ago, without any destination in mind. Letting the currents guide him, he decided to sail south and landed up in small port towns along the Mexican Coast. He tried to stay away from the larger tourist towns. Instead, he favored small ports and tried to keep to himself. The less people he met, the less likely he would 'flash' on someone or something inconvenient.

He missed his family and Morgan. But more than anything, he missed Sarah. The blonde goddess haunted his dreams. He didn't understand what she was thinking on their final night. It was like a dream and a nightmare all rolled up into one confusing mess.

Did she like him? Was she planning on killing him? He honestly didn't know. It sometimes angered him, because regardless of her intent, he had this burning need for her, that he just couldn't extinguish; no matter how much logic he used.

He had found a job at the Hotel Villa Vera fixing computers, working their docks, and teaching visiting tourists to surf and sail. In exchange, he received a small stipend, mooring for his boat and a tiny "villa" on the sand. His villa was size of a large closet, but it suited him just fine.

While in college, he had learned to surf and sail near Half Moon Bay in the turbulent waters outside of San Francisco Bay. In contrast, it made his work in the waters near the tranquil Zihuatenjo Bay a cake walk. He smiled when he thought about all the money that was spent on his education at Stanford and how ironic that it prepared him for this. He should have gone to UC Santa Cruz and saved his pennies.

In order to complete his escape, he had changed his appearance. He now had short spiky hair with blondish tips and a trimmed beard. Unwittingly, he had also gained thirty pounds of muscle from the physical nature of his job outdoors and a deep bronze tan. Gone were his Buy More white dress shirt and tie. Now, he mostly wore long surf shorts and little else. If he had computer work to do indoors, he donned a surf shirt with his long shorts. He had changed so much, he sometimes looked in the mirror and didn't recognize himself.

His demeanor had also changed. Constantly worried about saying something that would reveal his true identity, he had become a little closed off, almost detached. He empathized with Sarah a bit now. He understood how burdensome an alternate identity could be.

Unwilling to talk about himself, he had gained an aura of mystery about him. That, along with his new appearance, made him interesting to the opposite sex. There seem to be a steady supply of young woman on holiday vying for his attention. It was a bit problematic, since he tried to keep a low profile. He sometimes wondered if Sarah's mysteriousness had attracted him; like the girls who pestered him now.

In truth, all the flirting around him made him sad. It was all lost on him anyway. Even if he could open up to someone, he knew his heart just wasn't in it. It still belonged to a blonde haired, blue eyed contradiction that was somewhere beyond his safe harbor. Did she ever think about him?

He was more depressed than usual today. It was Mother's Day for him and Ellie. He wanted to call her so much, he thought his chest might explode. But he couldn't. The Intersect warning bells went off in his head whenever he thought about using a phone.

Instead, Chuck had arranged for Ellie to receive instructions to pick up a package from him today. At least he hoped she would receive it. The package had traveled back to the U.S. nearly two weeks ago, via a hoard of senior coeds, who were returning to Los Angeles from their labor day vacation. He hoped they were trustworthy enough to have shepherded his package to the drop-off location. Ellie would be disappointed, if she didn't hear from him today.


	4. Chapter 4: Animal Shapes

Chapter 4: Animal Shapes

Ellie and Sarah walked down the Santa Monica Promenade to the woodworking shop. The women chatted amicably, but Sarah was keenly aware of the people on the street. She scanned every dark haired male face looking for Chuck.

Inside the woodworking store, Sarah watched as the store owner and Ellie exchanged greetings. Nothing was out of the ordinary, until Hans, the German store owner remarked, "Ellie, I was just going to call you!"

"Well, then it's good timing that I brought my friend Sarah by to see my hope chest being built," beamed Ellie.

"That's why I was going to call. My wife's father died and we are flying to Munich to put his affairs in order," explained Hans.

"Oh no, that is terrible. I'm sorry to hear that," remarked Ellie sympathetically.

"Yes, it's tragic. But I was going to call because I finished the chest early since were leaving town. I was hoping you could pick it up today," explained Hans. "I need to close the shop early so we can pack. Can you take the chest home now," asked Hans hopefully.

Ellie demeanor changed. She looked uncomfortable. "No," she stammered, "I don't think it will fit in my car."

Sarah noted Ellie's discomfort. Trying to calm her friend, she offered, "I can help you put in your Passat. I'm sure it will fit in your trunk, if you put your seat divider down. I think the car can even hold skis."

Ellie's blue eyes widened and her agitation increased. Sarah realized that Ellie was hiding something.

Oblivious to the tension between the women, Hans exclaimed, "A Passat! That is a fine German automobile. My wife drives one. I am quite familiar with the trunk. The chest will fit fine. Just pull your car around back. I will load it up!"

Ellie looked stricken. She needed to end this conversation. She turned to Sarah and said, "I don't want to keep you. I'm parked several blocks away. Why don't you come over tonight for dinner and see it. I'll make sure Morgan isn't there."

Sarah recognized that Ellie didn't want her to see something in her car. She smiled at Ellie and decided to play along. She agreed to dinner, and with a wave left the store.

Outside the store, she called Burrows. "Pop the trunk on Ellie's car and search it. Call me back when you complete the task," ordered Sarah, taking a hidden position outside the woodworking store.

Burrows called back a few minutes later. "The doctor's trunk was empty except the usual; tire iron, jumper cables and such. She did have a few copies of L.A. Weekly in the trunk."

"Hasn't all her email and publications been monitored," asked Sarah.

"Yes. She picks the paper up off a newsstand near her hospital periodically. Morgan Grimes is corresponding to her through the personal ads. The little man likes to write about his feelings for her," explained Agent Burrows.

Sarah's spy intuition spiked. However, she didn't want to alarm the other agent. She asked casually, "Has Morgan's letters been reported in the surveillance summary reports?"

"You already reported the Grimes infatuation. So the love letters didn't seem material. The doctor never reciprocates. Is there problem," asked Agent Burrows.

Sarah didn't want to share her suspicions, so she laughed. "No, I am just surprised. I'm always amazed by people. She has this great fiancé and she is enjoying getting love letters from Morgan Grimes. Crazy."

Agents Burrows agreed. "Do you want me to steal the car for a more in depth search?"

Sarah knew that was overkill. Besides, she thought she already had what she wanted. "I don't think so. We can take the car later if we needed it." She suspected that the L.A. Weekly was the better place to investigate.

Spying a L.A. Weekly newsstand close by, she walked to the machine and grabbed a paper. She thumbed through the pages to the personal ads. Her heart stopped when she read the entry:

"E. I miss you . Remember our anniversary. I do. I remembered the boarding house that we stayed. I will always remember ZJ at the Ocean. It was one of the Main roads to my heart. I'm okay even though your with the Captain now. Eternally yours, Morgan."

Morgan was definitely infatuated with Ellie, but he wasn't the type to pen love notes. Sarah surmised that the ad was placed by Chuck. This must be the way that Chuck was communicating with Ellie. Personal ads were a fairly simple communication method. However openly making the ads look like they came from a crazy Morgan had worked well. The NSA and CIA ignored them as non-material.

She pondered what the ad meant. Suddenly, she realized that Ocean and Main were actually streets in Santa Monica and were relatively close to her current location. She began to walk towards the named intersection. Turning onto Main Street, she spotted ZJ's Boarding House at the corner of Ocean. It was a surf shop. Could it be a drop-off point? Her question was answered as she spied Ellie leaving the store with a manila envelope under her arm.

Her heart skipped. Sarah sprinted towards Ellie before the doctor could realize that she had been spotted. Coming up behind the doctor, Sarah asked, "Did you leave through the back door of the woodworking shop?"

Ellie turned in shock. Her eyes filled with fear knowing she had been caught. Grabbing the manila envelope more tightly, she stuttered, "Uh…I got lost, I'm looking for my car."

Sarah was not going to play games with Ellie. She locked eyes with doctor and in her most demanding voice, she said. "Open the envelope, Ellie."

Ellie momentary considered arguing with Sarah, but saw the determination in Sarah's eyes. She realized that there was no point in lying. Sarah knew the truth. Ellie tore the envelope open and held her breath as she pulled out a photo of Chuck with a note attached.

Both women gasped as they saw Chuck's picture. His smile was the same but they were amazed by his appearance. Sarah thought that he looked so handsome, it hurt to breathe. She touched the picture and traced the outline of his face. He was so tanned and muscular. She missed him so much. The note on the picture read, 'Ellie, Look, I cut my hair! No more animal shapes! I Love You, Chuck.'

Sarah's phone rang and it made her jump. Sarah saw that it was Casey. She had to take the call.

"Walker, who is this Jill Conrad woman and why wasn't I informed by you about your re-assignment? Dammit! Then I find out that there are two additional agencies involved in the Intersect Project, who were previously silent partners! Did you know about this Walker? What the hell is going on," demanded Casey.

Sarah knew she couldn't have this conversation in front of Ellie. However, she had felt ill when Casey told her about her re-assignment. She needed more information from him. She knew that the intelligence agencies involved with the Intersect Project must be fighting due to the re-built Intersect not performing well. Her past affiliations must be causing heartburn with the four intelligence agencies involved with the Intersect.

She carefully replied, "Casey, an Agent Conrad has just been added to our detail. This Jill Conrad must be the new agent assigned to find Chuck. I'm scheduled to meet her tomorrow. I'm not alone. I need to call you back about the rest."

Ellie blanched as she listened to Sarah's conversation. It couldn't be! How many secret agent ex-girlfriends did her brother have?

Sarah noticed Ellie's reaction and was concerned. Hanging up her phone, she turned to Ellie and asked, "Are you okay? Do you know Jill Conrad?"

"I know her quite well and no…. I'm not alright! You know how you made the analogy about being a doctor who might have to cut off a patient's leg to save his life?"

"Yes, but I don't think I used those exact words," replied Sarah, warily. She knew that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

"Jill Conrad is the exact opposite. She likes to cut off legs to watch them bleed. Don't you know who Jill Conrad is? " seethed Ellie venomously.

Sarah nodded negatively. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't make the connection.

Dismayed, Ellie explained, "Jill was Chuck's ex-fiancé. The girl he dated at Stanford. She was the one who left him for Bryce."


	5. Chapter 5: Intrigue & Affiliations

Chap 5: Intrigue & Affiliations

Sarah called in a favor. It was dangerous. If discovered, she would lose her job at the CIA. But she had no choice. She needed to see Chuck again. Her status on the case was already shaky at best. If she turned in the lead, she suspected that she would be immediately reassigned, and would never see the picture or Chuck again. Therefore, she couldn't use the CIA laboratory to analyze Chuck's picture. She couldn't take the chance.

Instead, she contacted an old work associate to analyze Chuck's picture. She arranged to meet him at his lab afterhours. The risk to her career was great and it made her antsy. Plus the analyst was late. She needed to meet, get the intel, and get the hell out quickly. Her spy nerves twitched anxiously.

She heard the door opening. It was Angus. "Well hello luv, I can't believe you're slummin' it 'ere with dear ol' Angus. It sure nice to see a familiar face 'ere in the Land of Angels," laughed the old man.

Sarah hadn't seen Angus in years. He had aged a bit since she first met him. They went back to her rookie days when she first joined the service. She remembered that he was a brilliant analyst and a lovable leech. She knew he had been stationed in Los Angeles to support the North American Operations, but she had not seen him, since she worked for the CIA.

"You've come to your senses about the C-I-A and are returning to the service now are ye?" grinned Angus, "I never understood why you wanted to slink around the world with all them foreigners anyway?" laughed Angus.

"Angus, you're surrounded by foreigners all day so don't give me that! Anyway, I need your help. I need to find where this photo was taken," explained Sarah. She handed Chuck's photo to Angus.

Angus examined the photo with a critical eye. After a few moments, he remarked, "If this bloke was tryin' to hide…then he wasn't very professional. He shoulda known better than to be photographed outside where we can triangulate his position using the location of the sun to the azimuth. Plus, the fella even gave us a time reference…lettin' his watch be photographed was just bad form. "

Sarah wanted to defend Chuck. He wasn't a trained operative and apparently The Intersect hadn't warned him about azimuthurial projection. But she held her tongue. Angus was a master at reading people. She didn't want him suspecting that there was anything of a personal nature involved in this request.

Angus scanned the photo on his computer. "I just got this nifty piece of software courtesy of MI-6. It can approximate a GPS latitude using azimuthurial projection in just a few moments."

Sarah held her breath. Finally after what felt like eons, he turned to her, and said, "What do ya know...the software was able to triangulate a latitude between 17.50 and 17.75 degrees north of the equator. Traversing the globe in a straight line along these latitudes, this picture coulda been taken in Eritrea, India, Mauritania, Mexico, North Marina Islands, The Philippines, Ragoon, Saudi Arabia, St. Kitts or Saudi Arabia."

Her stomached churned. This wasn't going to help her. Sarah gloomily asked, "Is that the closest you can get?"

Angus' eyes twinkled. "Well my dear, if I get closer…will you go on a date with this old fart? Being an ex-pat can be lonely sometimes. Ah….but you know what I mean?"

Sarah coughed to hide her chuckle. Angus was such a brilliant charming leech. She should have known that he would hold something back! She replied, "Angus, you know I can't be seen with you in public. But if you give me the name of the city where this photo was taken…I'll kiss you right here!"

Angus laughed jovially and said, "Lass, I am such a lucky man today! Based upon the presence of the English label on the bar of surf wax in the background, I would guess that the photo was taken in North America along the coast. Mexico and St. Kitts are the only two coastal countries in North America at these latitudes. However, in the background we can also see indications of a city. And alas, there is only one coastal city at these latitudes in either of these two countries. And your brilliant soon-to-be kissin' partner knows exactly what city the photo was taken! So missy, where's my kiss?"

-o-

Chuck was a regular reader of the AMA's medical condition chat board established for Emergency Room residents. It was such a bore, but it was Ellie's way to communicate with him. She agreed to never post her first name on the chat board, unless there was an emergency. As such, Chuck almost chocked on his dinner as he read the following post:

_Patient Sarah W. has taken the package sent to the hospital. The X-ray is gone. Patient says out-treatment is safe to discontinue. My clinical recommendation is inconclusive due to patient's continual surveillance. Ellie. _

Chuck was livid! He couldn't understand why the CIA and NSA wouldn't leave his sister alone! Especially Sarah! She knew how he felt about his sister. When would her harassment stop? Sarah couldn't even let his sister keep his stupid picture! It was just a memento for God's sake! He knew he couldn't return. Sarah had to be lying. That wasn't surprising since he knew Sarah Walker's whole life was a lie. And slowly, as he started to think about everything that happened between them, he decided that it was all a lie too. That made Chuck Bartowski a very angry man.

-o-

The following morning Sarah woke up happy. She was fairly sure that Angus had discovered where Chuck was. All she had to do was survive her introduction to Jill Conrad. After that, she would fly to Mexico to "track down another lead." Or if the CIA re-assigned her today, she would ask for some personal time off and fly to Mexico to take a "vacation." They knew she needed it. She hadn't taken a day off since she and Bryce went to Cabo back in 2005.

In either case, she intended to be in the same town as Chuck by the end of the day. All she needed to do was to avoid Casey and keep her current and past employers at bay.

-o-

Casey was in another stupid hotel room. He hated hotels. He thought his apartment near the Bartowski family had been acceptable. But he had been forced to hand the apartment over to the CIA when they took over the primary surveillance of Ellie Bartowski. He hated surveillance jobs normally, but he kinda liked the doctor. She was a nice looking woman and she could bake.

He was waiting for General Beckman to call. He received a level red text regarding this meeting. That meant something big had happened. His teleconference indicator began to blink. Beckman's face appeared upon his computer screen.

"Agent Casey, I'm sorry about the urgency of this request. But we've had some developments," stated General Beckman.

"No problem, General, " replied Casey. He was eager to hear the news.

"As you already have been told, there were four intelligence agencies involved in the development of the Intersect Project. This consortium worked together to build the new Intersect. However, it now appears that something went wrong in the programming. The new re-built Intersect is a failure," explained Beckman. She looked disgusted by the news.

"With the failure of the re-built Intersect, the working agreement among the Consortium participants has also failed. Each of the agencies are now individually in pursuit of Mr. Bartowski for themselves. He is the only functioning Intersect. The agency who captures him first will have the most bargaining power in forging a new agreement among the participants. As such, all the agencies are elevating their pursuit of the human Intersect."

Inter-agency politics were one of his biggest peeves. Trying not to show his annoyance, Casey asked, "How does this change my current assignment?"

"You are to pursue Mr. Bartowski without CIA involvement. The NSA wants ownership of the human Intersect. Once found, we will relocate him to one of our secured underground holding facilities for his long term use." Casey thought that sounded ominous. He always knew it sucked to be Bartowski.

Casey wanted no mistakes in his understanding of his duties. So he asked, "Am I clear to understand that I'm not to engage in any form of information exchange in regards to the Intersect with Agent Walker?"

"Especially not Agent Walker. She should be considered compromised," replied General Beckman.

He knew it! He knew Sarah's feelings for Chuck would eventually be detected. He wondered what she did to expose herself. She probably went postal when she heard about Chuck being held in an underground facility for his "long term use."

Casey didn't have long to wonder, because Beckman explained, "Agent Walker was a part of an exchange program between the intelligence agencies. Because she's worked for two of the other Consortium participants, the CIA is unsure of her allegiance during this period. There are politics involved that I won't bore you with…but in a nutshell…she won't be officially re-assigned. However, she'll be given duties that will keep her away from the capture of Chuck Bartowski."

Like he believed that! Sarah was going to make sure she was first one to see Chuck. Especially when she heard about the underground holding facility. Besides screwing with a nice guy; this squabbling among agencies was just ludicrous. He remarked irritably, "Isn't this all a bit silly…don't we all work for the American government?"

General Beckman furled her brow for a moment considering his remarks. Then dawning broke across her face. "Agent Casey you misunderstand. All the agencies involved in the Intersect Project are not domestic. Agent Walker is not even an American. She is actually a foreign agent."


	6. Chapter 6: Like a Vice

Chap 6: Like A Vice

Sarah sat on the couch in Casey's old apartment listening to Agent Jill Conrad. She hated to admit it, but Chuck's ex-fiancé was stunning. Agents Burrows and Nelson were enthralled. Sarah told her self that she wasn't jealous. However, she was keenly aware that Agent Jill Conrad was beautiful, and to Sarah's dismay, she was also a brunette.

She knew that Chuck had an affinity for brunettes. She had suspected it after the Lou fiasco. However Morgan, the self professed Chuck encyclopedia, confirmed it one day after her and Chuck's "fake break-up." Morgan had glibly chided that he knew that Sarah and Chucks' relationship was doomed, because of his attraction to brunettes. Morgan's words had bugged her, and now as she watched Agent Conrad; she couldn't help but hear Morgan's voice in her head.

Sarah struggled to keep her professional façade. She knew that in her professional mode, she appeared ice-like and intimidating. She was slightly annoyed, however, because Agent Conrad seemed immune. Sarah recognized that Agent Conrad could play the game.

While outwardly calm, Sarah knew she had strong negative feelings towards Jill Conrad. _Was it jealousy?_ Sarah recognized that there was a trace, but her feelings were more based upon her protective instincts towards Chuck. She didn't know exactly what had occurred at Stanford; but she knew that this woman had devastated Chuck.

The meeting ended. Jill had mostly asked general questions about the current surveillance schedule and what steps had been taken to ascertain Chuck's location. There was nothing very interesting until Jill started to provide personal insight about Chuck.

"Knowing Chuck, he probably escaped by boat. He sailed extensively in college and was quite a good surfer. Have you checked out the local surfing locales for leads on his whereabouts? He'll likely stay close to the surfing community where it would be easy for a late twenty something to hide," explained Agent Conrad.

Sarah's stomach churned. It had taken her nearly eight months to discover Chuck's link to surfing and it only surfaced after he sent a picture of himself, that accidentally exposed a bar of surf wax in the background.

Jill knew about Chuck's connection with surfing on her first day. She didn't need visual aids in her search. Suddenly Sarah wondered whether Jill Conrad knew Chuck better than herself. Sarah felt like a spike had pierced through her chest.

Sarah stood up to leave. She wanted to get away from this woman as quickly as possible. She knew there was no tactical advantage to engage in a prolonged conversation with Jill Conrad. It fact it was to her detriment. Sarah knew she needed to keep her eye on the prize and not let her curiosity about the woman upset her plan to leave for Mexico.

"Agent Walker could you stay a few moments. I wanted to talk to you privately," asked Jill Conrad. The brunette dismissed Burrows and Nelson with a quick glance. They quickly left recognizing that the women had personal business to discuss.

Alone, the woman assessed each other. Neither agents attempted to hide their appraisal, nor their dislike of each other. Finally, Sarah inquired disdainfully, "You wanted a word with me, Agent Conrad?"

Jill smiled mercurially. "Agent Walker, I suppose you know that I was once engaged to Chuck."

Sarah nodded almost imperceptibly. She schooled her face to remain impassive.

"We'll that's why I can afford myself the leeway to ask some very impertinent questions," grimaced Agent Conrad.

Alarm bells sounded in Sarah's head. She wasn't about to give this woman an opening. She raised her eyebrow in rebuke.

Jill eyed Sarah critically and then venomously spat out, "Well, I'll just ask...…why weren't you sleeping with Chuck?"

-o-

Sarah was upset after her meeting with Jill Conrad. The women had reminded Sarah of both how brutal the espionage business could be and how Sarah's personal feelings had affected her job.

Female agents were sometimes called upon to have sexual relations. It was not openly talked about, but it certainly was a card that an agent used at their discretion. Why hadn't she? Sarah supposed she had discounted it at first because of his vulnerability. Later, she didn't because of her own vulnerability to him. She never could have slept with Chuck without it becoming personal. Hell, she barely shared one kiss with him, and eight months later, she still felt butterflies in her stomach when she thought about the moment.

According to Agent Conrad, Chuck would have been much more controllable, and less likely to believe that Sarah and Casey were aiming to kill him, if Sarah had forged a sexual relationship with him.

Sarah supposed it was true. But there was something real between Chuck and her. She hadn't wanted to destroy what Chuck had once referred to, as "their thing under their undercover thing." Sarah knew that if she had seduced him, as Jill had suggested, it would have destroyed the truth that was between them.

Until she was confronted point blank, she hadn't realized that she had intentionally ignored this tactical advantage in her dealings with Chuck. She was happy that she hadn't been this calculating, but it reminded her of the brutal world that she belonged. It made her ill.

However, Agent Conrad had no such misgivings. She intended to find Chuck and seduce him. Jill Conrad made it clear that her strategy had already been sanctioned by the CIA. It was ugly business and Sarah wondered how Chuck had ever been engaged to such a cold and calculating woman. Had she been that hard, before she met Chuck?

-o-

On her drive back to her hotel, Director Graham called. He informed her that she was needed on the East Coast to oversee the search for Chuck from Langley. Jill Conrad would oversee operations on the West Coast. She had expected something like this, but it riled her professional integrity. She maintained her composure throughout the telephone conversation, but knew that this transfer was an issue of mistrust by the Agency.

She requested and received vacation time. Director Graham seemed happy to grant it. At first, she supposed it assuaged his conscience for freezing her out of the active field investigation. But then she remembered; there was no such thing as conscience or personal feelings in her line of work.

-o-

As she reached her hotel, Sarah began making plans for her departure. As she rode the elevator to her floor, she absently reflected that the hotel had good memories for her. Sadly, she knew that she would never return.

Her reverie was instantly interrupted as she entered her hotel room. She was not alone. Instantly she pulled her gun. She heard a familiar chuckle as a man came out of the bathroom. It was her old boss.

"Good to see that your instincts are still honed. I was worried that your time at Weinerliscious may have dulled your abilities," stated the Deputy Secretary.

She did not respond. She had suspected that he would attempt to contact her. But she was surprised by the personal visit from such a high level duty officer. The security involved in making this trip must have been horrific.

"I hear you are being assigned duties back at Langley. Do you think that you will be able to find the Human Intersect from that post," he inquired.

Both knew the answer to that question. Sarah looked away, unwilling to show her disappointment with the CIA's handling of her situation. "You knew that the assignment at the Agency had an expiration date. It's just sooner than everyone expected. "

"You've flown fourteen hours to tell me that," mocked Sarah. Her inner turmoil had finally surfaced.

-o-

Sarah booked a red-eye out of Los Angeles. She had missed the only direct flight out, in the afternoon. Therefore, she was forced to forgo sleep and took a flight with numerous layovers.

The flights gave Sarah time to think about her life. It felt like a vice had been taken to it. Events outside her control seemed to be squeezing her from all sides. When Chuck's personal and professional worlds collided, she had told him that he was having an existential crisis of sorts._ Had this happened to her_?

After she landed at the Ixtapa Airport, she realized that she had made a decision about her life. She found a phone and called a number she knew by heart. A woman answered. Gathering her courage, Sarah said, "It's me. I know it's been way too long. But I think I've finally done my last assignment. I'm coming home."

-o-

Sarah rented a car and drove south to Ziuhuatenejo Bay. Once there, it was fairly easy to find Chuck. The town was small and she had a recent picture of him. Not surprising was that he had made friends with many locales. They eagerly tried to help her surprise her "boyfriend" with her arrival.

She found him on the beach. He was teaching some middle age tourists to surf. He smiled and laughed with his clients. It felt so good to see him. She sat down on the ridge above the beach to watch him. She hadn't realized how much she truly missed him. Her eyes drank him in. She laughed as Chuck showed his client how to paddle with his gangly arms and legs while lying prone on the sand.

"Agent Walker…tsk, tsk… I walked up behind you without you noticing. That's very bad form for an agent, even if she is on vacation… or not," sneered Casey unkindly. She had been engrossed in watching Chuck. She cringed. Mistakes like that could get an agent killed. In this case, Sarah allowed Casey to find her. Unfortunately, this meant that he had also found Chuck.

He sat down on the ridge next to her. He watched Chuck. After a few moments, he commented, "He looks good and he looks happy." Sarah nodded in agreement.

Casey studied Sarah for a moment and commented, "I hear you've been re-assigned to Langley."

Sarah nodded with a grimace. How did he know that already? She raised an eyebrow in question.

Casey shrugged, "The NSA monitors the Agency's personnel movements. It's good to know what the competition has planned. The Agency's strategy in regards to Jill Conrad is interesting."

His comment was like pouring salt on a wound. Dejectedly, Sarah replied, "Exceedingly so. I guess my time was done."

Casey grunted in reply. Their business could be tough. They exchanged knowing looks. He knew that the Jill Conrad strategy would be tough for her to accept.

"Casey I'm not going to fight you or the NSA for possession of Chuck. I just can't help the CIA with his capture. I just can't. I am going to ask for a professional courtesy though. Will you let me talk to him before you take him in," pleaded Sarah suddenly. Studying her, Casey could see the inner turmoil in her eyes.

Casey had never seen Sarah more vulnerable. It bothered him. "Yeah sure. It might be for the best anyway. It would probably do him good to see you. He's going to have a rough time of it later. He will be assigned to an underground holding facility for his long-term residency," explained Casey sheepishly.

Sarah jumped when she heard the words, 'underground holding facility.' She turned to Casey to argue, but then schooled her response. Casey knew she'd object to Chuck being held in an underground facility. He supposed he didn't like it either.

Staring at her hands nervously, she responded, "Yes, I suppose it would be something like that. I wish I could help him. But I can't. I suppose it's for the best."

Taking a deep breath, Sarah asked, "Will you let me sleep for a few hours? I haven't slept in over twenty-four hours. I need some down-time. " She was exhausted. She needed a few hours of sleep before seeing Chuck. She suspected that it would be quite demanding.

"Sure Walker. You've been a good partner," offered Casey awkwardly.

-o-

It was late evening when Sarah woke up. The agents had rented a room overlooking Chuck's villa on the beach. While she slept Casey had monitored Chuck movements and prepared for their mission.

Sarah joined Casey at the window. She could see the outline of Chuck's villa. Light from the villa spilled out onto the sand. Outside, Chuck had built a small bonfire and sat on a beach chair on the sand drinking a beer. He seemed lost in thought.

"I should go down there now," remarked Sarah.

"Not yet. He's not alone," replied Casey. He didn't look at Sarah. He didn't want to see her face when she realized that Chuck had female company.

Sarah watched a barely dressed young girl exit Chuck's villa. She seemed rather animated in comparison to Chuck, who sat idly near the fire. The girl grabbed Chuck's hand and tried to pull him up. Sarah watched as Chuck declined with a sheepish grin. They talked for awhile and then the girl kissed Chuck on the cheek and left.

Casey stated, "It's time." He became a flurry of activity. Dressed in black, he started checking his tranquilizer gun and communication devices. He handed an ear bud to Sarah.

"I will stake out your reunion on that ridge. If you get into trouble, just signal me, and I will come in blazing."

-o-

Chuck was relieved when his company left. It was just Michelle. She was another young girl who had taken a fancy to him. She was amusing enough and sexy, but she just wasn't Sarah. It saddened him. He wondered if he ever would get Sarah out of his system.

He took a sip of his beer and realized that someone was approaching. It looked like a girl. He was a bit annoyed that Michelle was returning.

He took a swig of his beer and pointedly didn't look as the girl approached. He didn't want to encourage her.

"Hi Chuck."

Shock coursed through him. The voice belonged to only one person. He looked toward the girl and saw that it was Sarah. She was only a few feet from him.

Chuck was caught in a spell. His world stopped as he looked at Sarah. She was exquisite. Not registering what his body was doing, he stood up in one fluid motion and took the last few steps to her. He reached for her. It did not matter whether he was welcome or not. He needed to touch her.

He captured her mouth with his and dragged her body against him. He began to kiss her passionately. His heart soared even as warning bells screamed in his head.

Sarah was caught off guard by his greeting. But her body quickly responded. She didn't fight it. It was what she wanted too. She grabbed his shirt and kissed him back. She lost all concept of her surroundings or of Casey watching disapprovingly. She only registered Chuck kissing her; needing her.

Sarah and Chuck were lost in their embrace. She clung to him on her tip toes. He crushed her into his chest. Both needed to be as close as possible. When she started to respond to him more urgently, he attempted to pull back, but she responded by pulling his neck down more tightly to deepen their kiss.

For what seemed like eons they kissed. Finally, she felt Chuck attempt to break their embrace. Unwilling to let him go, she continued to kiss him; even when he stopped actively participating. Finally she stopped. Her heart was beating rapidly. Smiling, she leaned back while holding his waist. She looked up into his eyes, and was shocked by the angry eyes staring back at her.

Seeing his anger, she allowed Chuck to break their embrace. Caught off guard by the loss of his body for support, she lost her balance. She attempted to recover her footing, but landed hard on the sand.

Both Chuck and Sarah were shocked that he had accidentally knocked her down. Chuck's anger dissipated for a moment, but returned when he realized that that she was unharmed.

With menacing eyes, Chuck asked, "Are you here to finish the job?"

Sarah was confused by his question. "I don't understand what you mean?"

He looked at her disbelievingly. "You're trying to use your body against me again. Was the plan to distract me? Was that my farewell kiss?"

Sarah realized that he still suspected her of planning his termination. "No Chuck, it isn't like that."

"You're lying!" shouted Chuck.

His accusation hurt her. "That's not true Chuck! Besides you kissed me first. I'm not here to hurt you. I couldn't," replied Sarah heatedly.

"Oh come now Sarah, we both know that you can take me any day," mocked Chuck. He had seen her in action one too many times to believe he had a chance in fighting her.

They both knew it was true. But Sarah didn't respond to his taunts. She just looked at him pleadingly.

"Chuck, come on. You know I would never hurt you intentionally."

"You know what, Sarah? I don't know that! But there is one thing that I am sure of though. I can run faster than you," yelled Chuck.

Chuck turned to run. Sarah realized that Casey would intercede. She started to shout a warning, but she heard the tranquilizer gun fire. Chuck's body jerked and he grabbed his side in pain. Casey had shot him.

Chuck fell to the ground unconscious. Sarah crawled quickly to Chuck and pulled out the tranquilizer dart lodged in his side. She held his head in her lap. She knew that Casey would bring the truck down to fetch Chuck.

As she held Chuck's unconscious body, she couldn't stop thinking that this wasn't how she imagined their reunion would end.

-o-

Casey pulled the black Suburban down onto the beach and parked close to Chuck and Sarah. When he jumped out of the car, she stood up and confronted him.

"Did you really have to shoot him," yelled Sarah.

Casey bellowed, "Yeah right, Walker. He was running from you for God's sake. In the dark, we could have actually lost him!"

He stormed to the back of the truck and yanked the doors open. Casey ordered her to help him move Chuck's body into the back of the truck.

Casey carried Chuck's torso and Sarah held his feet. They heaved his 6'3" frame into the confines of the truck. Casey jumped into the truck and slide Chuck's further into the cab.

"Look out for his head. You can't leave him like that," complained Sarah.

"The moron deserves it," bellowed Casey who turned to straighten Chuck's head.

With his back turned toward her, Sarah struck out. She injected Casey in the neck with a small needle concealed in her ring. She knew the narcotic would work much faster if it was injected in his neck. She did not want to engage in hand-to-hand combat with her soon to be ex-partner.

Casey pushed himself on his back, before losing his ability to move. He stared back at Sarah with questioning eyes. He still had a few moments of consciousness.

"I'm sorry Casey. I couldn't let him go back," explained Sarah.

Barely able to speak, Casey slurred, "You two will never make it far. You're unsanctioned."

"Casey, it is sanctioned….just not by the U.S. government."

Sarah sighed and continued, "You've been a good partner. That's why I'm not leaving you here on the sand. You'll wake up tomorrow safely locked in your own truck with your keys. Remember that Casey."

Sarah closed the back of the Suburban. She went into Chuck's villa and grabbed some of his things. She returned to the Suburban and drove it towards her pre-arranged rendezvous point.

Her mind raced. She was about to embark on the biggest gamble of her life. She just wasn't sure if Chuck was still willing to play.

--


	7. Chapter 7: Under the Sea

Chapter 7: Under the Sea

Sarah sat in the Suburban waiting along a deserted section of the beach several miles south of Chuck's hotel. Clouds hid the moon and the beach was near pitch black. Her mind raced as she peered into the darkness.

Sarah thought of her friends in Los Angeles. They were the first ones she had made in years. Normally, she left an assignment without a backward glance. But this time, it was different. She picked up her cell phone and called Ellie. The phone went immediately to voice mail.

She hesitated for a moment to compose her thoughts.

"Ellie, It's Sarah. I've been re-assigned and am leaving town. I probably won't be back and I wanted to thank you for everything. I'm sorry to hear that Ana found out about Morgan's letters. They are together now. I'm sure he's safe. You know…us girls just have to take care of their men sometimes. I'm sorry I won't be able to make the wedding. I'm sure Morgan won't make it either. I think you and Devon should just elope and take that great scuba honeymoon! What's stopping you? No barriers that I can see! Take care."

Sarah knew that Chuck wouldn't be able to contact Ellie for awhile. She hoped Ellie understood her coded message.

She saw a faint light on the beach where two men were beaching a Zodiac. They were her transportation. Sarah used the headlights from the Suburban to signal the men of her location. She grabbed her gun and climbed out of the SUV and went towards the men.

After exchanging the appropriate code words, Sarah was satisfied that the men were legitimate. She directed them towards the SUV and had them carry Chuck to the Zodiac.

She remained at the SUV. Taking one last look at the unconscious Casey, she whispered, "Goodbye John." She threw a blanket across the agent and placed the vehicle keys near his head. She then closed and locked the SUV. She knew John Casey would be safe as he slept off the drug she had administered to him.

Sarah walked to the Zodiac and helped the men launch the craft into the crashing surf. After they maneuvered the boat past the break, they used the craft's engine to motor away.

-o-

As the beach retreated, Sarah began to relax. She felt the salt sea spray on her face and it felt good. She knew she was fully committed now and it no longer mattered how much she worried. The proverbial deed was done. Her life with the CIA was over and her new life was about to begin.

She replayed her reunion with Chuck in her head. It had been so sweet and so utterly painful. Seeing him on the beach had made her heart flutter and her palms sweat. Her normally cool reserve had deserted her. She smiled remembering how her body had reacted to him.

Chuck made her want more than the spy business for herself. She wanted quirky smiles and tender moments. She wanted Chuck with his awkward good hearted soul. He had squirmed his way into her heart and then disappeared with it. Finding him on the beach had been like a homecoming. Her heart had returned home.

Kissing Chuck and made her chest feel like it was going to burst with happiness as he embraced her. For her, their kiss had washed away all the bad memories between them. She felt connected to him again; they were one. As such, when she looked up to into his eyes, it came as a total shock to see his burning anger.

It was excruciating. His eyes spoke of betrayal and mistrust. These were concepts from her world; not his. Burning anger was an alien emotion to the Chuck Bartowski that she knew. She felt a stab of pain knowing that she was responsible for this change in him.

-o-

The Zodiac eventually reached their destination and the men used a handheld radio to confirm their arrival. They waited a few minutes as their small craft drifted aimlessly on the sea. Suddenly, their craft began to rock widely. Water rushed towards them as a submarine arose from the sea. It had been waiting for its crew to return along with Sarah and her "package."

Sarah could only see the black outline of the vessel as the men maneuvered the Zodiac towards the submarine. Her anxiety returned. She had spent a few hours in a submarine once, and had not enjoyed it. This time she would spend numerous days on board, and she didn't relish the experience.

-o-

Even after a few days at sea, Captain Barclay was still curious. He had received orders to pick up an unnamed intelligence agent and her "package" and deliver them to home port. It was an unusual order. He had never been sent into Mexican waters before. Nor had he ever been warned to go silent due to the American threat. To his shock, he was informed that the Americans would attempt an international incident to stop the "package" from falling into non-American hands. This flabbergasted him. The Americans were normally their allies for Christ sake.

He had been in the military for thirty odd years and had been exposed to his fair share of intelligence operations. He knew better than to ask questions. But this operation just bugged him; even as it piqued his curiousity.

Stangely enough, the "package" turned out to be a sedated young man in his late twenties. The man looked like one of his young, general entry sailors. Not someone who was caught up in some high stakes espionage game.

The agent, who accompanied the "package", was also a surprise. The agent turned out to be a female and stunningly beautiful. She was curt, tight lipped and professional. Not a drip of emotion sprang from her, just like the other spies he had met.

What surprised and annoyed him was that his orders hadn't warned him that the agent was female. A woman on a confined vessel like his, would likely be disruptive. This was especially true for this assignment, since his all male crew had been at sea for nearly ninety days. His superiors should have realized.

Luckily, the agent did not interact with the crew much. She seemed content to stay in the sick bay and assist his medical doctor in monitoring the young man's condition.

The only major altercation occurred with his ship's doctor. When the agent had arrived, she had ordered the doctor to keep the young man sedated for the entire journey. Their trip was long and his medical doctor was understandably upset by the order, since it appeared medically unnecessary.

However before the Captain could intervene, his normally unflappable doctor had confronted the agent. To his consternation, the agent had literally scared the physician into submission. Captain Barclay wasn't sure what had been said to his medical doctor. As the Captain, he didn't allow threats to be made on his vessel and he certainly would have made an issue of it with the agent. However, his physician would not speak about incident. He knew it was pointless to ask the spy, they never answered questions satisfactorily.

Regardless, the rest of his crew had collectively fallen "in love" with the mysterious agent. Her looks and protective nature towards "the package" had his crew in a tizzy. They watched the female agent as she watched "the package." They were relentless in their curiosity and gossiped about her every move. They held contests to guess her name and hypothesized about every conceivable connection she might have to the sedated young man.

The agent either was completely unaware of the gossip that surrounded her, or had decided to completely ignore it. In either case, she gave no indications to the crew that she was remotely aware of their interest.

Most of the stories that were bandied about were nonsense, but when the Captain heard the latest story from his first officer, he went to the sick bay to investigate. Luckily, the agent had gone to the galley for food. This allowed the Captain a few minutes to view "the package" without the agent. Looking at the young man's face, he shook his head in disbelief.

"Ye Gods man, I can't believe it's true. What did she do to the poor man's face," inquired the Captain to his physician.

"I think she meant to give him a shave. We tried to intervene but she insisted she could do it," replied the doctor dubiously.

"Well, I think it looks more like she tried to torture him. His face is covered with so much tissue paper; I can barely see the bloke's face. How many times do you think she nicked the poor schmuck?"

"Who can tell," chuckled the physician, "Besides, I don't think I can count that high."

Both men shook their head in disbelief. Maybe it was a good thing that the "package' was sedated. The poor guy would die of embarrassment if he knew.

-o-

When the submarine approached the mainland, a helicopter transport was dispatched to fly Sarah and her "package" to their final destination. The submarine had surfaced and Sarah and the Captain waited for "the package" to be brought topside for transfer to the awaiting helicopter.

Several sailors were assigned to move "the package" via a stretcher from sick bay to the outside deck of the submarine. Sarah eyes widened in shock when the crewmen arrived with the "package."

The Captain saw the strange look on the agent's face and looked over at his crew to see what had caused her reaction. He was caught off guard when he saw the faces of his crewmen, which were all nicked up with pieces of tissue sticking on their faces in odd places.

"What is the meaning of this," bellowed the Captain.

One of his sailors sheepishly explained, "We didn't want the bloke to feel alone with his condition and all."

Sarah looked at the tissue speckled sailors and down at Chuck. Realizing that the crew was joking with her, she looked up gave them her most blazing smile and genuinely laughed. She thanked the Captain and waved to the frenzied crew. She then climbed into the helicopter to leave.

After Sarah and the "package" had flown away, the crew went back inside the submarine. As they walked, there were several catcalls and remarks about the agent and her knockout smile.

Most of his crew believed that the agent and her "package" were romantically entangled in some epic romance. As such, the Captain wasn't surprised when he heard one of his crew members mumble, "Lucky bastard."

The Captain chuckled. After seeing the agent smile, he had to agree.

-o-

The helicopter flew to Sarah's home which was a sheep station in the Northern Territory. When the helicopter landed she jumped out and walked towards a young couple.

"I guess when you finally decide to come home; you do it in a really big way. That was quite an entrance," remarked Sarah's sister.

Sarah shrugged and gave her a small grin. Helicopters and submarines no longer thrilled her. They were just a means to get home.

Sarah was more interested in her sister. Seeing her sister's face was so amazing. She had given her up so long ago. And now, she had a chance to get it all back. A tear slid down Sarah's cheek.

"I missed you," whispered Sarah. The sisters hugged and exchanged greetings as Chuck's stretcher was unloaded. Finally, Sarah turned to her sister's husband, Tom, and greeted him.

"You know lass, most girls when they take a likin' to a bloke….bat some eyes and show some cleavage. Hell…they even consider getting' their boy all liquored up before they reel them in. But you….you get a hankerin' for a boy and you kidnap him! Ye drug the poor lad and transport him half way cross the world and drop him in the middle of nowhere. Ye gods women, you even tortured him. Look at his face! Did you cut him up with a dull razor on purpose? I'm not sure the laddie will ever forgive ye? Dinna liquoring him up work?"

The three busted out laughing at Tom's joke and the preposterousness of the situation. However, Sarah grimaced a bit too. She wasn't sure her boy was going to forgive her...and Tom didn't even know the half of it.

The helicopter crew carried Chuck into the house and left. The government gave Sarah three days alone with Chuck to prepare him. After that, both Sarah and Chuck were due at headquarters for debriefing.

While they stayed at the sheep station they were under military protection. There was a no fly zone over the station and soldiers were stationed at the edge of the property. Being at her family home was dangerous. Neither the CIA or NSA had this address, but her old employers did. If the Americans sent enough spies and released a cybernet assault on her old agency, she had to think that some either a deep cover mole or some computer hack would eventually gain access to her 'real' service file. So they would eventually discern this location. As such, it had taken a considerable amount of negotiations to get this alone time with Chuck at her home. It would only be for a few days. She hoped it was worth the effort.

As previously arranged, Sarah's sister had prepared the house to Sarah's specifications and had left with her husband on a "mini-holiday." This provided Sarah time alone with Chuck to explain.

Sarah just had to wait for Chuck to wake up.


	8. Chapter 8: Waking Up is Hard To Do

Chapter 8: Waking Up is Hard to Do

Chuck awoke. In the distance he could hear sheep and cow bells. Somewhere far off there was even a dog barking excitedly. He gently tried to move his body, but it was stiff and it hurt. He felt horrible.

He tried to will his eyes open, but the light hurt his head. For awhile he just laid still listening to the stillness around him and the far off sounds. Finally, he opened his eyes.

He didn't recognize a single thing, as his eyes wandered over the room. He was in a bedroom on a brass bed covered by a white comforter. There were knickknacks on a bureau and the room was decorated in a country-style theme. He supposed it went with the sound of the sheep. The room wasn't anything like his home in Los Angeles or Mexico.

He tried to recall his last moments before he woke up. He remembered Sarah and trying to run. _Was he being held somewhere_? The room didn't seem like it was standard governmental issue. It was more like he was just a visitor in someone's guest room.

It was bewildering. He was wearing his own pajamas; but he had no idea where he was or why he was so weak. He tried to sit up, but fell over. _Had he been sick_?

Holding the headboard for support, he sat up. His head swam, but the feeling receded after a few minutes. Feeling brave, he put his feet on the ground and attempted to stand. It was difficult, but eventually he made it up onto his wobbly legs. He held onto the furniture for support and pushed himself to the window to look outside.

Chuck saw that he was on a ranch or maybe a farm. The surrounding property sprawled on forever into the distance. There were no signs of civilization. There was a barn and a corral and sheep grazing in the distance. He was in the middle of nowhere. He listened intently for any sound from inside the house. There was nothing. _Was he alone too?_

Suddenly a dog started barking excitedly from inside the barn. He was relieved. Silence was foreign to him and hearing the dog was a relief. It replaced some of the anxiety he felt. He hoped someone was in the barn. He wasn't used to being alone. He decided to investigate.

-o-

Holding the walls for support and wrapped in a blanket, Chuck stumbled his way out of his room. He passed a stairway as he entered the living room. He realized that he wouldn't have been able to maneuver down the stairs in his present condition. He supposed he was lucky that he wasn't upstairs. He passed by the kitchen and he heard his stomach growl. He would have to eat soon. But he wanted to see who was in the barn first.

He made it out onto the porch but was dumbfounded when he realized that the barn was situated several yards from the house. There was open space between the house and the barn, and he knew that he was too weak to proceed. Frustrated, he sat down on the porch steps and stared at the barn. _Why was he so weak_? He started to feel afraid.

Then, he saw her. Sarah walked out of the barn laughing at a black dog that bounced wildly around her feet. She wore muddy boots and a red barn jacket with brown muddy paw prints on it. She looked happy and refreshed. She was a vision and it made him smile.

She was laughing and trying to reprimand the dog as she walked towards the house. She was telling the dog to stop jumping on her. But from the looks of her muddy jacket however, Chuck could see that her attempts had been unsuccessful. Chuck laughed to himself. He supposed that Sarah attracted all species of male.

As Sarah approached the house, she jumped in surprise when she realized that Chuck was seated on the porch steps.

Chuck saw a myriad of emotions cross her face. She went from laughingly happy; to surprise; to worry...to no trace of emotion at all, as she settled on her professional demeanor. He supposed that some things never changed.

"Chuck, you're awake! I….I wasn't sure when you would wake up. I'm sorry I wasn't in the house. I thought I would do some work in the barn while you were sleeping," she explained nervously. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be assessing his every move.

"Sarah, what happened? I feel so weak and my throat feels like sandpaper." He even sounded horrible!

Sarah's maternal instincts flared and a look of concern spread across her face. She wasn't a doctor; and he had been drugged for so long. Suddenly, it occurred to her that he might be sick because of all the medicine. She rushed up to the porch steps and went to feel his forehead.

Chuck batted her hands away. "No...No…I'm okay. It's just my body feels so weak and I don't know what happened." He was so intent on avoiding her touch, that he didn't see her look of concern turn to hurt as he pointedly rejected her hands. She quickly schooled her expression to hide her distress at the slight.

Chuck knew that if she touched him, he would lose control again like he did on the beach. _Why did she have to be so damn beautiful_? Even in her muddy attire and disarrayed hair, she looked incredible. His body was reacting to her; even in its weakened state. His body wanted to reach out and touch her and beg for her forgiveness.

But Chuck's head stopped him. _How many times had he reached out for her only to be spurned?_ _Hadn't he had enough?_

She continued to stare blankly at him. It made Chuck angry. She wasn't making this easy. _Couldn't she at least fake being happy to see him?_ She had won. He was in her custody again.

He grimaced. He hated the fact, that even prior to Mexico, she had total custody of his heart. On that beach, she had just gotten around to picking up his body.

He knew that she used the blank professional stare for her job. _How many times had she given him that same blank look?_ He hated it. He raised his chin and looked directly in her eyes. He would show her that he wasn't completely vulnerable; he wasn't a complete loser.

Sarah's heart was beating rapidly. She stuffed her hands in her jacket to hide her nervousness. It took everything she had to remain calm. Chuck looked so wonderful, but he looked so remote; so reproachful. She had to proceed carefully. She didn't want to lose control of the situation like she did on the beach.

She saw the determination and challenging glint in his eyes. It felled her. It was like he already knew what she had done and hated her for it. She needed him to smile at her; to signal that he was still 'her Chuck'. She broke their eye contact. Her insides felt raw. She wanted to beg for his forgiveness, but she was afraid.

Not knowing what to say, she inquired, "Are you hungry?"

Chuck's stomach growled in response. He started to give her a goofy grin, but schooled his expression. Sarah saw his reaction. It hurt her, but at least some of the challenging glint had left his eyes. She gave him a half smile in relief.

"Come on inside. I'll make you breakfast." Chuck just raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, I can cook an egg! I'm not that bad in the kitchen," laughed Sarah genuinely.

Chuck tried not to laugh. Instead, he attempted to stand but struggled with the effort. Sarah seeing his distress, she held out her arm and asked, "Need a hand?"

He looked up at her face and then down at her outreached hand. He hesitated for a moment and then grabbed it. She pulled him up. He stood up precariously. He was still wobbly from the drugs.

The dog excited by their movement, jumped on Chuck. He was forced to grab Sarah's shoulder for balance, and she stepped closer to steady him in case he started to fall.

Suddenly, Chuck and Sarah were inches apart. Their fingers were entwined in one hand, and he was holding her shoulder with his other. They were almost in an embrace. Both became lightheaded with each other's proximity.

Sarah peered up into his eyes questioningly. She recognized the longing in his eyes. He wanted her still! It was all the signal she needed. She stepped closer to him; closing the gap between them. She reached out to embrace him...but as she touched his side...he crumpled his face in pain. Alarmed, she stepped away from him, breaking the spell.

"Chuck, I must have touched you where Casey shot you with the tranquilizer. It was a big needle and it left a really bad bruise. I'm sorry, I forgot."

Chuck stared at her. She seemed genuinely upset that she had hurt him. _Was she happy to see him? Did she care?_

The emotional rollercoaster that was Sarah Walker suddenly felt much closer and its familiarity stung. He closed his eyes to gather himself. Once settled, he let out a deep breath and asked, "Sarah, will you tell me what happened after we eat?"

Sarah nodded. She shooed the dog away. She then grabbed his arm and ushered him into the house. They went with an unspoken, temporary truce between them.

-o-

Sarah made breakfast in the middle of the afternoon. Chuck teased her as she prepped the ingredients for a large omelette. She enjoyed their banter as she cooked, and he sat on a stool watching her. After she completed cooking, she grabbed a plate and gave him a quarter of the omelette and pushed the remainder on her plate.

"Hey aren't you being a bit stingy there Walker?" quipped Chuck, eyeing her full plate to his rather lackluster one. His stomach growled in protest.

Sadly, she knew their momentary truce was at an end. She braced herself and held her breath.

"I can cook you some more in a few hours but this is your first meal in awhile. You were sedated for an extended period of time ….and I don't know how well your stomach will do with a bigger portion."

His eyes grew large but he didn't respond. Instead, he took his plate and started to eat. She grabbed her plate and poked at her omelette; eyeing him carefully.

"How long was I drugged," asked Chuck without looking at her.

Sarah didn't want to answer, but knew she must. "You were sedated for twelve days."

Chuck looked up at her sharply. She saw a flash of anger in his eyes.

"We had to transport you and the trip was really difficult. You once told me you were claustrophobic and I knew you wouldn't do well," she nervously offered. "Plus, Chuck we had such a bad fight on the beach and Casey had shot you. I just didn't know how you would react. So I had you drugged for the trip. I'm sorry."

Twelve days of his life had been stolen from him! Anger boiled through him. Suddenly, he realized that he had missed his regular check in with his sister. "Oh my god, Ellie!"

"It's okay Chuck. I told her you were safe and we were together. She knows that you won't be contacting her for awhile," explained Sarah.

Chuck only nodded. His world was careening and he didn't know which way was up. He had no control in his life. Sarah had taken everything.

Anger and confusion raged through him. He needed to anchor himself to something or someplace.

"Where am I?"

That was the question that Sarah was dreading. When she answered it, she would have to open herself up and she wasn't good at that_. How could she just blurt out that she had brought him to her family home to…what? She wasn't even sure herself. How was she going to explain it to him, especially when he was in this state?_

She could see that Chuck was reeling. She stepped forward to embrace him. She wanted to comfort him; to let him know with her touch... that she was here for him.

But he was having none of that. He moved away from her.

He wanted the truth. He wanted to know where he was and he didn't want her to distract him with her body. He knew how Sarah could use it against him. His rejection was like chards of glass piercing her heart. She knew that it was time to tell him the truth.

"There was an alliance of four intelligence agencies involved in the original Intersect project. After you escaped, the alliance continued to work together to build the new Intersect. But when it was deemed a failure, the alliance broke down. All the intelligence agencies began a competition to find and capture you. The one that found you would be able to negotiate with the others for access to the information stored in your head," explained Sarah.

Chuck just shrugged. He didn't understand why she was telling him this story now. _What was she was trying to tell him?_

"The CIA and NSA both had plans to capture and hold you in captivity; either in an underground jail cell or by some other means……I just couldn't be apart of that, Chuck. I cared for you too much. So I left the CIA."

Chuck's eyes bulged. _Did she just tell him that she cared for him and had left the spy business for him?_ He looked into her face and she seemed so earnest. _Could it be true?_

"You're no longer a spy," he asked. Suddenly, he had a ray of hope.

She gulped. "Not quite." His sudden ray hope died as quickly as it sprang forth. He could only think, _'Damn Sarah, and her emotional roller coaster!'_

"I negotiated better terms for you with one of the other agencies. It wasn't easy but I had some past connections with them. You see….I worked for both of them prior to being head hunted by the CIA." Sarah gulped again. It sounded almost like they were talking about a normal business transaction.

"So…. I just have new handlers, huh? Who is it this time? The FBI? The Secret Service? Wait…no…they only protect the president, right?"

Chuck looked at Sarah's face. It looked stricken. This didn't sound so bad. _Why was she so upset?_ It confused him until he looked at her again, and then he just knew.

He stumbled out of the kitchen into the living room. He saw a lamp and rushed towards it. He followed its cord to the electrical outlet on the wall. It was a strange looking outlet that he had never seen before. It wasn't an outlet that you would see in America. He knew he was in a foreign country.

Chuck was frantic. "Oh my god, Sarah, I'm in a foreign country! You gave me to a foreign government! That means that you are…"

"…a foreign agent" said Sarah quietly. Her secret was out and relief overwhelmed her. She had finally told him the truth. It felt so good to tell him. But at the same time, she was scared of his reaction.

Chuck was blown away. He stumbled back and sat on the couch. He felt wobbly and lightheaded again. He was adrift. Sarah had always been his one beacon of safety in the tumultuous sea that was his life….and now it looked like that beacon wasn't so safe.

"You gave me to the bad guys," he uttered dejectedly.

Sarah rushed to him and kneeled down. Grabbing his hand she looked into his eyes and explained, "No Chuck, it's not like that!"

He could only stare at her face, as he whispered, "Sarah…you...you are one of the bad guys!"

--


	9. Chapter 9: In Foreign Clutches

Chapter 9: In Foreign Clutches

_"Sarah, you are one of the bad guys!"_

Those words were like fist to Sarah's stomach. It knocked the breath from her. The words were so simple, but meant so much.

"Chuck, you don't understand. It's a complicated situation."

Chuck paced the room. His mind raced. He had long ago resigned himself to the fact that he knew close to nothing about her. He only knew that she was his CIA handler. Now, that wasn't even true. Incredibly, she was not a CIA agent… but someone else... who had delivered him into the clutches of a foreign government.

_She had played him from the start!_

The thought ravaged through his body. His every insecurity about her bubbled to the surface. He felt every past hurt; every slight she had inflicted upon him. _He felt like a fool. _

He spoke quietly, almost to himself. "I should have known. You never really had feelings for me."

Sarah realized that he misunderstood. "No Chuck, this was the best thing for you."

"Stop! I don't want to hear any more lies! I just want to know why you did it? Was it money? Or was I just a job," pleaded Chuck, with total despair in his eyes.

Sarah saw his pain. She pleaded with him desperately, "I did it because I cared. I wanted what was best for you!"

"You did it because you suddenly cared for me? How many times have you told me that you didn't have feelings for me, Sarah? Now, your new feelings have conveniently decided that its in my best interest for you to turn me over to your foreign government! Do you really think I'm that much of a fool," shouted Chuck, with emotion.

"Chuck..."

Sarah was at a loss for words. She didn't know how to explain.

"Sarah, I understand. You always intended to extract me for your foreign government. Make the nerd think you cared for him, so it would be easier to extract him later. Just keep him off guard. Send him mix signals. Even kiss him, if the mission required it. That was your game, wasn't it?"

Sarah tensed at his words. "You know that's not true! There was always something between us. You know that," retorted Sarah.

He stalked up to her and shoved his face aggressively into hers. "What I know is, that you'll do just about anything to complete a mission."

It angered her that he could think so little of her. But she tried to ignore it. "Chuck, this wasn't a mission. I did this for you," retorted Sarah, with frustration. But Chuck couldn't really hear her explanation. He was caught up in the idea of her grand duplicity.

"So how far would you have gone for this assignment," taunted Chuck.

He saw her confusion at his remark and it goaded him. He smiled lecherously at her breasts in a manner reeking of disrespect.

It shocked Sarah and before she could register what her body was doing, she slapped him hard across the face. He had touched upon a sensitive subject that all agents face, especially female ones. Placing their relationship in those terms had riled her; and to her disbelief, she had struck him.

The sharp sound of the slap hung in the air, as its consequences resonated between them.

"I suppose considering your fighting skills, I got off lucky," remarked Chuck, wryly. He rubbed the side of face where she slapped him.

Sarah's eyes widened with desperation. Everything was going so wrong. She had to make this right. Too upset by the fact that she struck him, she babbled apologies until she looked up into his eyes. They were so un-Chuck like. They were cold and remote. It silenced her.

Chuck looked hard at Sarah. It was the first time he could honestly say that he didn't believe any of it...and most especially...he didn't believe her.

"I am so over this," whispered Chuck. Their eyes locked. Both knew what he really meant was, 'I am so over you.'

Exhaustion overwhelmed him. The combination, of the drugs, their fight and finally her slap, had decimated him. He felt wobbly again and the room darkened. He recognized that he was near collapse.

"I'm going to bed."

She saw his face turn ashen and tried to help him. But he pointedly rejected her outstretched hands, and forcibly told her to leave him alone. She watched helplessly as he staggered down the hallway to his room. It was not lost upon her that he was forced to hold onto the walls heavily for support.

-o-

She sat on the living room couch replaying their fight. It had gone so wrong. It was supposed to have been their reunion. But instead of opening up and telling him how she felt; she had become tongue-tied. She hadn't said anything she wanted to say. Instead, their past had overshadowed their conversation and it had turned ugly.

Her insides hurt. But she chided herself, '_What did she really expect?'_ Realistically, she knew she couldn't expect more from him; but she did. She secretly wanted him to believe in her; no matter what the circumstances.

She recognized that he needed time away from her. But her own vulnerability cried for him.

She walked silently down the hall and peeked into his room. He was passed out on the bed. Even in his sleep, he looked troubled. It made her heart bleed.

Sarah walked to the bed and sat down next to him. She ran her hand through his unruly hair. She memorized how he looked. She never understood why, but his presence always calmed her.

The past eight months without him had been misery. But now…he was so close; it was bittersweet. She couldn't lose him. It made her bereft to think of life without him. She needed him.

She knew it would anger him; but she couldn't help herself. She slipped into bed beside him and wrapped herself around him. She buried her face into his chest; taking solace in the feel of him in her arms. She would deal with the consequences later.

-o-

Chuck awoke to find Sarah snuggled around his torso. It was heaven. He smiled at the wonderfulness of it. It felt so natural. It was like she was meant for him.

But then he remembered their conversation. He realized that she was trying to show him that she had feelings for him.

It was everything he ever wanted. But he couldn't trust it. It was safer to believe that it was only apart of her mission. He had laid open his heart so many times; he just didn't think he had it in him to hope some more.

"Sarah…I think you should leave," whispered Chuck, his heart breaking as he uttered the words.

She didn't move. Suddenly, he thought he couldn't give her up just yet. _Maybe_ _it would be better if she was asleep_.

But those thoughts were chased away when her arms suddenly clutched him tighter. She was awake and she heard him.

"Please don't be over me," begged Sarah softly. Her body trembled as she spoke.

Her words knocked the air from his lungs. She trembled and sounded so vulnerable. It was all so real. He couldn't take it.

"Please Sarah…don't…" He tried to extract himself from her.

But she just gripped him tighter, like she was holding on for dear life. He felt her desperation like an electric jolt. He couldn't handle it. He needed to get away. He tried to sit up, but she fought him.

Then suddenly she released her hold. It surprised him and he hesitated a moment. They laid together unmoving; and that's when he felt it.

At first, Chuck thought he imagined it. But then Sarah's body jerked again. She was silently sobbing. When she realized that he knew; she clutched him again tightly; hiding her face in his chest.

Her silent tears ravaged him. He had no defense. His blonde seemingly invincible protector was sobbing in his arms. No matter what he wanted or what he feared; he could never leave her as she cried.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Sarah, please don't cry," soothed Chuck. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. He rolled so that she was on her back and he could see her.

She turned her face away and tried to hide behind her hair. She was embarrassed by her tears. He tenderly pushed her hair back behind her ear and gently grasped her jaw. He turned her head to face him. Brown eyes met watery blue ones. He thumbed away her tears and kissed away the moisture from her cheeks.

"It kills me to see you cry."

She grabbed his face and looked directly in his eyes. Watery cobalt blue eyes drilled into him. "I'm sorry that I brought so much pain and deceit into your life. But it was never between us. I evaded questions and refused to answer others, but I never lied to you…except once."

She felt him tense at her words. He closed his eyes and laid his head down in the crook of her neck. He just laid there for awhile and then he spoke, "Sarah, I can't take any more rejection. I think I'd rather you just lied." She had defeated him.

Sarah's tears started again. She grabbed his head and held it up so that he was forced to look at her. "Chuck, you don't understand. When we were both under the influence of the truth serum and you asked me if there was anything between us….I said no. But that was the lie."

She saw the confusion in his eyes. "I was trained to withstand the effects of sodium penthanol; so I could lie. I did it because I was in charge of your protection. I couldn't admit to feelings for you. Plus at the time, I just wasn't ready. Our situation was so complicated."

"And now?"

"Our situation is still complicated. But now you're in my arms and I'm ready to admit my feelings, Chuck." She reached up and gently kissed him on the mouth.

His heart soared. His brown chocolate eyes implored her. "Really?"

She saw that he was afraid to hope. "Really, Chuck." She wanted to say that she loved him, but she was still afraid. She hoped she could tell him with her body what she couldn't yet say with words. She shifted so that she was on top of him; their bodies aligned.

His eyes turned dark as he stared at her lips. She moved up his body to kiss him; intentionally dragging her chest over his. He growled as her lips met his.

She arched into him and whispered, "Make love to me, Chuck."

She was so lost to him that it took a moment for her to understand his response. Sarah was shocked when his words finally registered. Confused, she looked down into his eyes and he repeated it.

"I can't Sarah."

--


	10. Chapter 10: Photo Albums

Chapter 10: Photo Albums

Sarah puttered in the kitchen. She had made breakfast but she was too upset to eat. Last night still rang too loudly in her head. She had finally opened herself up to Chuck and he had turned her down. It had stung.

She heard the shower start at the back of the house. A feeling of unease made her stomach drop. Chuck was awake. But after last night's rejection, she was uneasy. She felt like she was on unstable ground. It was new territory for her, and the once fearless agent was terrified.

-o-

Chuck popped into the kitchen looking for breakfast. His hair was wet from his shower and it was more curly than normal. He was all smiles and his gangly body was full of energy. It was in stark contrast to Sarah, who was feeling a mish mash of hurt, anger, and confusion.

Seeing Sarah in the kitchen made Chuck happy. Last night had been difficult, but he felt stronger somehow. He was still confused about their relationship, but it was the first time in a long time…that he felt hope.

However as he started to serve himself food, their eyes made contact. Chuck's smile vanished when he saw the raw emotion in Sarah's eyes. She looked lost and he felt guilt for the vulnerability he saw there. He realized that his rejection had chinked the armor of his seemingly invincible protector.

It amazed him. _Had his rejection really affected her?_

When she had asked him to make love to her, alarms had gone off in his head. He knew that if he made love to her, she would be his addiction. It was like offering an alcoholic one drink. He wouldn't survive, if he could only have Sarah for one night. It was better to refrain and live, than to touch a piece of heaven and always be left wanting more. _But how could he explain this to her...without losing all sense of pride? _

However, the hurt in her eyes engaged his protective instincts. He had protected himself, but had inadvertently hurt her. This was unacceptable to him. He needed to make her feel better.

After an awkward breakfast, Chuck literally dragged Sarah into the living room. He sat them down on the couch. Sarah tried to move to another chair, but he wouldn't let her. Instead, he held her hand.

"Sarah, I'm sorry about last night. I'm probably the biggest moron alive to turn down a single night with you. But being together would have made things more confusing. I'm sorry, if I hurt you," explained Chuck, with a sorrowful look in his eye.

Sarah replied, "Thank you Chuck for telling me that. It means a lot." She smiled wanly.

Chuck realized that he hadn't reached her. Frustrated, he blurted out, "Sarah, it's hard for me to know what's real. But I do trust you. I realize that you weren't planning on killing me."

His pronouncement stunned her. _How could he ever believe she would consider harming him?_ Sarah schooled her face to hide the turmoil within her.

He noticed that Sarah's blank look had returned. He hated that look. She used it to keep him at bay, under the guise of 'professional detachment.' He braced himself. Her blank look normally signaled something bad. Holding his breath, he asked, "Sarah, what happens next?"

Slipping into her professional mode, Sarah explained, "We are here until tomorrow afternoon. We will then be picked up by military transport and delivered to your new employers. You'll be briefed and given the particulars of your new life. You'll be given training and will eventually become an intelligence analyst."

Chuck waited for her elaborate. When she didn't, he tried to gesture for more. She responded by averting her eyes. He realized that Sarah was not going to be more forthcoming voluntarily. Frustrated, he asked somewhat testily, "And whom will I be working for?"

Sarah found it steadily more difficult to answer. Each question seemed to edge closer to revealing the 'real her.' It upset her even though she knew her misgivings were irrational.

Heck, she had brought him to her home. Why was she having such difficulty in telling him where he was? She was so conflicted. _Was it the agent in her?_ _Or was it due to the rejection from the previous night?_ She just didn't know. She willed herself to respond to his question.

"The other two agencies involved were MI-6 and ASIS. You probably know MI-6 from the movies. ASIS is lesser known. I worked for them, when I first started in the intelligence business. Later I was assigned on some joint projects with MI-6 in Europe. They were successful, and arrangements were made to loan me out to the CIA for similar assignments. Anyway, your new employer is ASIS."

Chuck could see that her posture had become more rigid. Her face held a blank expression. He could tell that she was reluctant to answer his questions.

"And what does ASIS stands for?"

Chuck watched as her eyes widened. She replied tersely, "It stands for Australian Secret Intelligence Service."

Sarah's posture became even more rigid, and the tension in the room increased. Chuck started to feel a slow burn in his stomach, as he watched her body language. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Does that mean you're Australian?"

She gulped. Allowing him to know the 'real Sarah' terrified her. But it was now or never. Sarah slipped into her native Australian accent. "Yes Chuck, I'm Australian." She monitored Chuck closely, looking for rebuke.

Sarah's accent startled him. She sounded like a stranger.

Even worse, he had never imagined that when she finally told him something about herself, it would make her so blatantly unhappy. It upset and saddened him in a way that he couldn't describe. It also made him a bit mad. _Why couldn't she trust him even half as much as he trusted her?_

Sarah saw Chuck's reaction. She was sure that her Australian accent had upset him. She cringed at the thought. She decided it was best to maintain her American accent. "Is this better?"

He just nodded. When she talked in an American accent, she seemed less like a stranger. He didn't see her flinch at his nod.

Ignoring her hurt feelings at his reaction, she continued, "Chuck, you'll be trained like a regular analyst. The Service will put you in a safe house and you will have a security detail. But beyond that, you'll be free to explore Sydney and the surrounding areas. You'll have a relatively normal life, except for the added security." She hoped it pleased him.

"Will you be in charge of my security," asked Chuck, warily. He didn't like her reference to a security detail. In the past, she had always referred to herself as his handler. Security sounded too vague and unfamiliar. _What was Sarah trying to say?_

This questioned startled Sarah. She fought to control her emotions. ASIS was well aware of her feelings towards Chuck. In fact, they had used her feelings to convince her to bring him to Australia.

She had been tagged as a 'personal relation' to him. As such, she would never be placed on his security detail. She grimaced. She was technically considered his 'girlfriend.' Their living arrangements had not been finalized, but she suspected that ASIS assumed that they would live together. It was something she desperately wanted, but she didn't know how to admit it to Chuck.

"No. I will likely be re-assigned to some other project. But we will both work for ASIS." The words seemed hollow to Sarah even as she said them. She tried to assess Chuck's reaction.

Chuck tried to be brave. Sarah had sacrificed her position at the CIA to protect him from their plans. He was grateful, but he felt like he was being abandoned.

He hated it. But he had to ask, "Will I get to see you every so often?"

He looked away from Sarah; he didn't want her to see his vulnerability.

Sarah saw that Chuck was upset. He wouldn't even look at her. She wanted to say everyday. She wanted to say that they could live together. She wanted to say so much, but she just couldn't.

"I'm sure you can see me whenever you want. We are friends you know." She smiled weakly.

The word 'friend' stopped the conversation. It was like a match to kindling. All of Chuck's pain and frustration surfaced. His temper blazed. He was livid.

"What the hell are you talking about Sarah? We're not friends. We've never been friends. We've always been more than that. Why are you doing this?"

"Stop yelling at me. I don't know what you mean," replied Sarah automatically, even though she knew exactly what he meant.

Chuck paced the room frantically. Sarah had called him a 'friend' and was not going to be on his security detail. His world was tilting upside down. He yelled, "Yeah right Sarah, like I believe you."

"Are you saying I lied?" retorted Sarah, angrily.

"What could you lie about? Since you have barely told me a thing! It's like pulling teeth for you to tell me anything. Hell, it has been two days and you haven't even told me where I am!"

Sarah knew logically that her anger was misplaced. But it felt good. It was much better than the hurt and anxiety that she felt about her relationship with Chuck. She let her anger simmer.

She stalked up to Chuck with her fists at her side. "You're on the western side of Queensland near the Northern Territory of Australia."

Chuck rolled his eyes mockingly. "Well, that explains a lot. Yep, I'm with a bunch of sheep in Queens-fucking- land, wherever the hell that is," yelled Chuck, as his frustration peaked.

Sarah turned away from him and stalked around the room looking to break something. Nothing she said seemed to please him.

Frustrated at her lack of progress, she offhandly remarked, "If it makes you feel any better, we're leaving for Sydney tomorrow anyway. I don't even know why I bothered bring you home in the first place."

Chuck suddenly tensed. He stormed over to Sarah and grabbed her arm, and asked angrily, "What do you mean by home?"

Her training automatically engaged at his rough grip on her arm. "If you care anything about owning two arms, I suggest you remove your hand right now," seethed Sarah, in a deadly voice.

Chuck glared at her. "Yeah?"

Sarah stood her ground. "Yeah."

-o-

The air bristled as they glared at each other. Anger morphed into something more intimate; something more passionate. Chuck dropped her arm and closed the distance between them. His fingertips gripped her lower jar and he stared at her lips for a second.

Chuck captured her mouth with his own. Sarah was momentarily surprised, but quickly recovered as she joined in their union. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she arched her chest into him; making him groan.

They kissed mindlessly, both desperate to get as close as possible. Sarah frustrated with Chuck's height, tripped Chuck to the ground with a wrestling move she had learned. They landed together with an 'umph.' They were a tangle of arms and legs and their kisses were barely interrupted by their fall.

Finally, he stopped to catch his breath. His eyes turned soft as he gazed into her cobalt blue eyes. He nuzzled the side of her face and asked, "What did you mean by home?"

She closed her eyes and responded, "Chuck, this is my home. I grew up here." She turned to face him and looked deeply into brown eyes. "I wanted to share where I grew up."

He trembled, and then gave her his biggest Chuck Bartowski smile. She couldn't help grinning back, his happiness was infectious.

She tried to answer the barrage of questions he leveled at her. Finally, in attempt to stop the onslaught of questions, she grabbed his hand and led him upstairs to her childhood bedroom. Chuck regarded the room with awe. Sarah was sharing something very important with him, and he felt almost solemn as he gazed around the room.

Then he saw some photo albums tucked in the corner on the bottom shelf of the bedside table. Sarah looked over and grinned. She let go of his hand and grabbed one of the photo albums and sat on the bed. She patted the spot beside her. Chuck joined her and together they sifted through the photos of young Sarah and her family. It felt so natural and bright. She amused him with stories behind each of the photos.

In that moment their lives altered as a new bond was created between them. Neither would be quite the same again.

After looking at all the photos, Sarah stood up and put the last of the albums back. She looked at him questioningly.

Chuck had a look on his face that she had never seen before. It was mesmerizing in its intensity.

"Sarah, is there anything else I need to know that could affect you and me?"

Her heart rate soared. Their moment was now.

"Chuck, I've made enemies of a lot of dangerous people during my career as an agent. They would have me dead, if they could find me," explained Sarah slowly.

Chuck's eyes narrowed. "I'm the Intersect. I am in constant danger of being captured and tortured for the secrets in my head."

She smiled and remarked, "I guess we are two of a kind. Who else would take us?" He just shrugged.

"Do you love me, Sarah?" The question drilled into her soul.

"Yes, Chuck. I have for awhile now."

"Good. Because I love you and I can't imagine living without you again. I want to be together. Just you and me."

Sarah pushed him backward onto the bed and laid on top of him. Staring deep into his eyes, she replied, "Me too."

She gave him a long passionate kiss that promised a whole lot more.

Stopping, she jokingly asked in a full Australian accent, "You're not going to turn me down again are you?"

"Sarah, I think I like your accent. It kind of makes me feel a little 'you know.' I might not turn you down this time," commented Chuck, playfully.

Her eyes widened at his teasing. But then she grinned and punched him in the stomach playfully. She started kissing him and Chuck didn't even consider turning her down this time.

-o-

After a _VERY_ exhausting day, they laid in bed cuddled together. Both were beaming as they considered their future together. Suddenly, Chuck let out a frustrated sigh and he punched his pillow.

Concerned, Sarah looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chuck looked upset. "I don't know your real name! We made love for the first time and I forgot to ask you. I am such a moron." He let out a frustrated sigh.

Sarah gazed at him with her heart beaming. She loved the fact that he was so considerate of her feelings. It made her happy that he wanted to know her real name when they made love.

"You already know it," quipped Sarah. She laid back and considered the ceiling. She knew that she had laid a bombshell on him.

"What?" He invaded her line of vision. She grinned and pulled him down for another kiss.

After a few satisfying kisses, she explained, "My name is Sarah. Well technically Sarah Ann. My mom liked long names."

"What?" He gave her a classic Chuck look of puzzlement.

"On short assignments, I sometimes used my real first name. My mission with you started out as a quick hit, so I used the name Sarah. When it turned into a long term assignment; the damage was already done. You knew me as Sarah, so for consistency, the CIA had me maintain the name."

"So when we were…you know…I was using your real name?"

"Yep. When you calling out my name in the throws of passion….you were using my real name!" She loved the red coloring that appeared on his cheeks. It was so cute.

"So what's your last name?"

Sarah immediately thought, '_Bartowski._' She liked the idea and smiled wistfully. She looked back at Chuck and it must have been the longing in her eyes, because he blurted out, "Now what was that about?"

Sarah looked away embarrassed. He had caught her in tender moment. He used his thumb to turn her chin towards him.

"Hmm…what thought brought that look to your eyes?" Sarah eyes widened and then she batted her eyes before averting them. She clearly was unwilling to share.

"Come on, Sarah…no more secrets…tell me," coaxed Chuck, sprinkling small kisses along her jaw.

"Okay, okay. I can't believe I'm telling you this. I thought Bartowski sounded nice," laughed Sarah, aghast that she actually shared the thought with him.

Chuck suddenly looked serious and it made her nervous. "Was that a proposal?"

Sarah's eyes widened and she responded quickly, "No!"

Chuck laid back down on the pillow. "Good, because it wasn't very romantic. Besides I'm the romantic one. I should do the asking. If I left it to you…we would never have any romance."

Sarah laughed at the statement. "I can be romantic too," retorted Sarah.

"No you can't," responded Chuck, rolling his eyes for effect.

"I kidnapped you and spirited you away to my family home! That's romantic! We are in a veritable love nest."

"Sarah, you were assigned to kill me but shot me with a tranquilizer instead. You drugged me and had me on a feeding tube for twelve days. You shipped me half away around the world and dumped me on a sheep farm. Albeit a nice sheep farm, but come on…a sheep farm. Then you wouldn't tell me that it's your family home or where I was. But you did threaten to break my arm. Oh, did I mention that you sold me to a foreign government?"

"Okay, Okay…stop! I didn't sell you to a foreign government. I just loaned you out. Don't complain! How many people can say that they've ridden in a nuclear submarine?"

He looked startled. "Was I really on a submarine?"

She nodded mischievously. "All the sailors had eyes for me, and they were all jealous because I had eyes only for the unconscious you."

"Sarah, you probably were the only woman on the ship. Of course they would have eyes only for you," mocked Chucked playfully.

"That and I kept giving you sponge baths." She grinned at his look of horror.

-o-

Captain John Barclay was finally on leave. As promised, he had spirited his his wife, Natalie, to Sydney for a getaway weekend. They walked along the Circular Quay, which was the gateway to city and harbor area for locals and tourists alike.

"Will you look at that couple? They must be newlyweds. Remember when we looked like that?" remarked Natalie, wistfully.

Captain Barclay smiled and absently scanned the crowds looking for the couple in question. His smile faltered, however, when he recognized the couple that his wife pointed out.

It was the blond haired female spy and the dark haired young man that he had transported across the Pacific last year. They were holding hands and leaning into each other, as they casually walked towards him and his wife.

The spy was laughing and it was clear that she and the brown hair man were romantically involved. But her playful demeanor disappeared, when the blond spy spotted him. Her smile was replaced with an assessing look. It was almost predatory in its intensity.

His wife squeezed his hand. She had become alarmed by the blond woman's intense gaze. However her alarm dissipated, when the spy became distracted by the dark haired young man, who seemed to falter as a glazed look overtook him. But then, just as suddenly, the dark brown haired man recovered. He then stared directly at the Captain and his wife and smiled broadly. He leaned down and whispered something to the blond spy.

The young man dragged the blonde spy towards them. He had a warm, open demeanor about him, which was in stark contrast to his companion. He greeted the Captain and his wife enthusiastically.

"Captain Barclay, I wanted to thank you for giving my wife and I... a lift home last year," exclaimed the brown-haired young man. Barclay glanced at their hands. He saw their wedding bands.

"You gave them a lift," asked Natalie, clearly puzzled.

The blonde spy smoothly replied, "Your husband gave us a ride, when our car broke down last year." She obviously did not want the Captain to mention their trip on his submarine.

Natalie was satisfied by the explanation and they exchanged a few more pleasantries. Captain Barclay noticed that the blonde spy shrugged off two burly unsmiling men, who the Captain guessed were the couple's body guards.

She gave the Captain a small smile and then indicated to her husband that it was time to leave. The dark haired man exchanged goodbyes with the Captain and his wife and then turned to his companion. The young couple seemed to communicate without words.

Watching the young couple, Captain Barclay knew then that his crew was right.

Those two really did have some type of epic romance.


End file.
